KUCHING: The Ministry of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development continues to strengthen its role as a key driver of Sarawak’s social wellbeing, with various impactful achievements recorded over the past few years.
Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the successful rollout of policies and programmes under the ministry and its agencies reflects the state government’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life, particularly for women, children, families and senior citizens.
“Since its introduction in 2019, the Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS) has opened more than 139,000 accounts for newborns with allocations reaching RM139 million, while the Maternity Assistance (BIB) has benefitted over 87,000 recipients with total assistance exceeding RM39 million,” she said.
Fatimah highlighted this when speaking at the Excellent Service Award (ESA) Ceremony here on Wednesday.
She said the Childcare Fee Subsidy and Early Childhood Education Programme, which started in 2023, has provided financial relief to low- and middle-income parents, involving 185 early childhood education institutions with allocations amounting to RM2.5 million to date.
At the same time, the 2025 Special Annual Grant worth RM10.58 million was channelled to more than 2,000 institutions across Sarawak to strengthen the quality of early education.
“In terms of welfare, the ‘Sejambak Kasih’ Programme has disbursed more than RM5.6 million to aid recipients in conjunction with five major festive celebrations, spreading joy to those in need.
“The Kenyalang Gold Card (KGC), introduced specifically for senior citizens, has also seen its benefits expand with more than 333,000 cards issued as of July, alongside Funeral Compassionate Assistance totalling RM70.7 million since 2020,” she added.
Meanwhile, the ministry through the Sarawak Women and Family Department (JWKS) also continued to empower women, including through the Sarawak Women Household Head Assistance (KIRWaS) scheme, which provided business capital support to nearly 1,900 women.
“The success of this initiative has been recognised at the national level when it received the Silver Project Award at the 2025 Social Synergy Congress in Kuala Lumpur,” Fatimah said.
The Social Development Council (MPS) also recorded commendable results, carrying out more than 600 social intervention series in 2024, which included supporting low-income families and strengthening collaborations with stakeholders to address community issues.
During the ceremony, 41 ministry and agency staff were recognised for their excellence, comprising eight recipients from KPWK, 27 from the Sarawak Welfare Department (JKMS) and six from JWKS.
The event also acknowledged the contributions of three retiring officers and two who have been transferred to other departments.
Also present were Deputy Ministers, Datuk Rosey Yunus and Datuk Mohammad Razi Sitam, Permanent Secretary Datuk Felicia Tan Ya Hua, Sarawak Welfare Department (JKMS) Director who is also Sarawak Women and Family Department (JWKS) Director, Salmah Jobeli, and other distinguished guests.
