Laundry jobs for the disabled

WITH a helpful push from the private sector, a laundry run by disabled people will soon be up and running in Komtar, Penang.

Initiated by Koperasi OKU Pulau Pinang Berhad, the centre will employ six physically disabled people.

Cooperative chairman Saw Hock Eng said the laundry was made possible by AmBank Group who stepped in as the main sponsor.

“We have managed to secure a location just inside Komtar Walk. The laundry is aimed at helping the disabled attendants to make a living.

“We hope to launch the laundry by August,” Saw said when attending AmBank Group’s Family Day held in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) recently.

During the full-day event, AmBank Group chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim presented Saw with a mock cheque for RM63,000 for the laundry.

Azman said the amount would cover not only the start-up costs including three industrial washing machines but also a year’s rental of the laundry premises.

AmBank Group public affairs head Syed Anuar Syed Ali said the “special” laundry in Komtar would be the second of its kind that AmBank Group was supporting.

“Last year, we extended our help to a laundry run by disabled people in MidValley Megamall (in Kuala Lumpur) and we see that they are already turning a profit.

“We want to repeat that success here in Penang and helped to give disabled people the tools to make their way in life,” Syed Anuar said.