Many people have turned their COVID-inspired innovations into a viable business as they dabble in their newfound interests. Things started to look up for some, but on the other side of the coin, some are still painfully navigating through the challenges after losing their jobs and wrestling with unemployment stress due to continuous lockdowns.
On top of that, many still have to live with food insecurity and tussle with financial vulnerability on a daily basis.
Ipoh Echo had an opportunity to talk to kindergarten teacher Indira Gandhi, who was involved in a long standing battle for the custody of her youngest daughter some years ago. To read more about her plight, click here.
The former kindergarten teacher recently ventured into home-based baking due to income shortfall. Thinking it would be worthwhile to at least give it a shot, Indira Gandhi turned her hobby into a side business to make extra money. She started sharing her passion for baking on a small scale and selling them to her close friends and relatives.
The home confectioner, who is also a full time private home tutor, said the home business helps pay the bills as well as enables her to refine her baking skills. “I am also trying to do small pax food catering aside from selling cakes and cookies. I currently sell different types of cookies including festive cookies and cakes,” she said.
If you are on an egg-free diet or have egg intolerance, this would be just perfect for you. All her cookies are made without eggs!
Need something new or different? Indira takes custom and personalised orders as well.
We are constantly encouraged to employ mindful activities to cope with stress and for Indira, that coping tool is baking.
“I enjoy baking. It’s more than just a job, it’s about the bliss and calm that come with it. For me, baking isn’t just another source of income, but it’s also my medicine for stress,” she explained.
The family lives solely on Indira’s earnings from baking and home tutoring as both her children are still looking for jobs. Unfortunately, they are barely making ends meet even with both of Indira’s ventures as the income flow is often inconsistent.
“Most of the parents can’t afford to send their kids to tuition due to financial difficulty affected by the pandemic and Movement Control Order (MCO),” she shared.
Helping her through the days are the government’s monetary assistance, Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) and our devoted NGO, Perak Women for Women Society (PWW).
“PWW has helped me a lot, especially emotionally and financially. They were concerned about my custody case and it showed how much they care for the community,” she said.
She is grateful for the assistance she receives, whether it is monetary or in kind.
According to Sumathi Sivamany, President of PWW, the organisation has worked with Indira from when the case started. “We did the ‘watching brief’ during her custody battle for her youngest child. Currently, we are promoting her sales on PWW shop on FB and distributing her food flyer with our members who would help share it around.”
PWW helps women via their PWW Shop, which acts as a platform to sell and promote their products such as cakes, biscuits and pastries on their Facebook page.
“There are also occasions where we distribute essential supplies such as a stove and containers to help them begin a new chapter. We also chat with the women on their venture in entrepreneurship to see how we can help them,” she shared.
You can support Indira by purchasing her baked goods. Place your order at 012-5260805.
Gisele Soo
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