PERANTIS Opens International Market Opportunities For Sarawak Women & Youth
KUCHING: The Women’s Leadership Apprenticeship Programme (PERANTIS) continues to empower women and youth in Sarawak by providing opportunities for them to develop creative skills as a source of income, including through the production of handicrafts that have successfully entered international markets.
Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato Sri Nancy Shukri said 14 PERANTIS programmes had been implemented in Sarawak through the Department of Women’s Development (JPW), creating new talents and opportunities among participants.
She said the success of ‘WEAVE 2026 – Women and Youth Empowerment Through Crafts and Performing Arts’ demonstrated that skills, creativity and local identity could be transformed into broader economic opportunities.
“One of the encouraging outcomes is the creation of ‘Pusak Tembun’, an amigurumi handicraft inspired by Kuching’s cat icon. Starting with skills training, the product has now successfully reached international markets through exhibitions in the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia,” she said.
She said this when officiating at the closing ceremony and launch of WEAVE 2026, themed ‘From Heritage Hands to Global Opportunities’, here on Saturday.
Dato Sri Nancy added that, apart from handicrafts, youth participants had also formed the Nyalang Warriors performing arts club, which was now being given opportunities to perform at universities and community events, helping to build their self-confidence, teamwork and leadership skills.
“The next step is to ensure this momentum continues through mentoring, product development, branding, digital promotion, financial literacy and market access, so that participants not only acquire skills but also have practical pathways to expand their opportunities and strengthen their income,” she said.
Commenting on the overall progress of PERANTIS, she said the programme was expected to reach its target of 10,000 participants over a period of more than three years, after involving 1,247 participants in 2024, more than 4,000 in 2025 and 3,883 this year.
She said the programme received an allocation of RM4 million in 2026 and involved 80 prominent women as mentors. In 2025, RM5 million was allocated to the programme, which involved 100 prominent women.
Also present were National Council of Women and Family Committee Member Dato Dr Rashidah Bolhassan, National Welfare Foundation Chief Executive Officer Nordina Haron, Sarawak National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) Director Jimbau Munggat, and PERANTIS 2026 Ambassador Nur Rahmah Ranong Abdullah. -UKASnews
