A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

The Perfect Nasi Lemak: Jasmine's Story

by Stephanie Salazar
 
                                      Jasmine*

Today I met Jasmine, one of the women helped by eHomemakers through its Salaam Wanita Project.  As I sat at the family dining table typing away on a proposal for eHomemakers, in she walked carrying a large yellow basket filled with rice, dried fish, peanuts, and eggs.  “Good morning!” she said in a spirited voice as she headed straight for the kitchen.

Jasmine had just traveled one hour by carpool to Kuala Lumpur.  With the assistance of eHomemakers staff, she runs a small catering business from the house of eHomemakers’ Chong Sheau Ching.

Jasmine suffers from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease that leaves her feeling weak on a regular basis.  She cannot work more than 3 hours without laying down for a rest.  She lives alone and receives little to no support from assistance programs or her family.  She does what she can to support herself, usually by doing odd jobs within close proximity to her house, such as sweeping kindergarten classrooms. 

Jasmine hand folds the paper nasi lemak covers she needs for the week.

Complications associated with SLE have made it extremely difficult for her to find a steady job, to run errands, or to travel within the city by herself.  Lupus makes her prone to frequent emotional outbursts and anxiety attacks. The limitations of not having a steady job, of being homebound, and of living on her own have left her lonely and depressed.  She needs to generate an income for herself since she is supported by no one.  Otherwise, she would be condemned to a life of begging.

eHomemakers found out about Jasmine through a staff member who lives in the same town and believed she was an ideal candidate for Salaam Wanita help.  The team decided that the best way to help her was to assist her in finding a job that would enable her to earn an income and socialize with others.

Over the years, they found several part-time jobs for her but she lacked the social skills required to work successfully with others.  Each time she fails in an income-earning venture, her self-esteem diminishes and she becomes more depressed.  It takes a lot of counseling by staff to get her back on her feet.  However, the eHomemakers team did not want to give up on helping her and they were committed to finding something that she could do.  When they found out she was interested in cooking, they decided to teach her how to make one particular type of dish and market it for her.

Through the eHomemakers network, they found a weekly catering position at a local pub for her in Kuala Lumpur making nasi lemak - a Malaysian dish of rice cooked in coconut milk topped with a spicy anchovy sauce, crumbled egg, and ground peanuts.

Nasi Lemak: Malaysian dish with rice, anchovies, eggs, and peanuts.

Jasmine was excited about the opportunity and grateful for the assistance that eHomemakers provided.  Her goal is to continue to improve her recipe and build a reputation in the catering business.  As Jasmine says, “I want to make my nasi lemak the best!”  Each week she has a team of 3 who encourages her to learn how to make the nasi lemak properly.  The eHomemakers staff who assist her do not see themselves as her 'bosses,' but as her 'friends' who want to see her succeed. 

Chong and her staff believed that the benefits of this arrangement were three-fold: not only did Jasmine get the opportunity to earn an income; she was also able to learn business skills and socialize with others.  One of the goals of the eHomemakers team is to help Jasmine understand the value of making a profit and producing something that customers want at a reasonable price.

Jasmine says, “I like coming to Kuala Lumpur and talking to everybody [eHomemakers staff and Sheau Ching’s family].  If I were at home, I don’t know what I would be doing.  When I make the nasi lemak, I get to earn money!”

After she has wrapped each nasi lemak, Jasmine does a final count.

Jasmine has been working in the catering business for over four months, and presently makes 20RM (~$5.50) for 70 pieces of nasi lemak.  As an exercise in cost management, she gives Sheau Ching 4RM for electricity and gas and has been learning how to make a budget for the ingredients that she buys.

Since she has started working with eHomemakers, Jasmine has been more excited about life.  She enjoys finding cost-effective and tasty ways to improve her nasi lemak recipe, and she enjoys being with eHomemakers’ staff and Sheau Ching’s family.

Since eHomemakers team members are usually the only people who check up on Jasmine, they are convinced that if it weren’t for the intervention of Salaam Wanita, Jasmine would have sunk deeper into depression.

While helping Jasmine get her business started took a lot of time and energy from eHomemakers staff initially, they believe their efforts are worthwhile when they see how much Jasmine has learned from the catering business.  She now has something to look forward to every week and she has gained valuable skills along with the belief that "I can do it."  This has made all the difference for her.

*Not her real name