NILAI, April 15, 2020 – The sewing skills taught by her mother as a child were not in vain for Siti Munirah Nasaruddin, 21, as she leveraged her skills to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for the frontliners.

A student in the Food Biotechnology program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) is one of the 30 USIM volunteers who are on USIM’s campus to sew PPE to donate to needy hospitals.

“I read that the University Entrepreneurship Center was looking for volunteers to sew PPE to donate to the frontliners while on social media many people shared stories about our front liners facing shortage of PPE suit. Coincidentally, I lived in Pajam not too far from Nilai, so I did not hesitate to join force with the university, plus, my family also supported my intention.”

“Prior to getting involved with the PPE project, there was a lot of free time spent at home, sometimes filled with online lectures, completing assignments, completing quiz questions from lecturers and helping with house chores. Now I have a new routine since last week to be at the Sewing Incubator Center under the University Entrepreneurship Center from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm to sew PPE”.

“My mother, Fatimah Mohamed, is a housewife and she takes tailoring work part time. I can sew since Primary Six because I always looked at and helped my mom sew at home”.

“In the early stages of sewing PPE I complained to my mom that it was difficult to sew PPE. Since mom is used to sewing so she could understand the root cause of my problems. One of the reasons is because the PPE is not the same as ordinary clothing and the sewing machines used at USIM is industrial sewing machine. So, my mother kept guiding me on what to do and how to fix it”.

“Through the guidance of my mother, I have become more comfortable and efficient in completing my daily PPE sewing assignments. I am proud that the PPE that the volunteers and I have created will be worn by the frontliners to fight Covid-19 and I am thrilled to be able to put my sewing skills into use to contribute to the country”.

Siti Munirah added that among the USIM volunteers involved are students, university staff and alumni with each having their own tasks such as cutting fabric in sizes and sewing according to specific PPE sections.

Currently, the Sewing Incubator Centre is preparing 3000 units of PPE consisting of gowns, head covers and boots to donate to Ampang Hospital; Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital, Temerloh’ Port Dickson Hospital and Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, Seremban and Health Clinic in need.

Prepared by:
Zaini Othman
Pusat Komunikasi Strategik (StraComm)
Aras 1, Canselori Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)
71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan