AEON Bank (M) Bhd, in partnership with SURI Inspirasi Sdn Bhd, has launched the Sustainable. Reliable. Income (S.R.I.) programme, aimed at empowering mothers, women and youth aged 18-60 from low-income (B40) communities with sustainable income-generating sewing skills and economic opportunities.
The programme, kickstarted in March 2026, is aligned with Bank Negara Malaysia’s iTEKAD social finance initiative, targeting 60 participants divided across three cohorts, each undergoing six months of training.
It targets participants from financially challenging backgrounds, including single-income households, the unemployed and those with irregular income. Participants receive sewing machines and necessary tools to foster entrepreneurship and economic independence.
Participants engage in the “MySURi Seragam” initiative cohorts will produce 1,000 sets of school uniforms for needy students, ensuring immediate income opportunities.
Participants are provided training in sewing, product development and Indigo Shibori tie-dye techniques using upcycled materials such as used jeans, denim and hotel bed linen, and product development.
Upon graduating from the sewing workshop, participants will be equipped with the skills to produce sustainable premium gifts for sale via SURI Lifestyle platform or on consignment basis with the proceeds channeled back to participants.
To strengthen market readiness of the products, AEON Bank and SURI are partnering with Zucchini & Co to provide training to equip participants with digital marketing literacy skills, including social media and mobile photography.
Upon completion, participants will receive portable sewing machine, using their skills to generate income to support their families, and are onboarded onto AEON Bank’s digital banking app, providing them with essential financial literacy and training on using the app’s digital financial tools to foster sustainable livelihoods
The AEON Bank x SURI iTEKAD S.R.I. programme marks AEON Bank’s second iTEKAD initiative, following its earlier AEON Bank x MADCash iTEKAD ‘GrowthStart’ programme which has engaged 65 female microentrepreneurs from the B40 communities in Kedah, Johor dan Negeri Sembilan.
AEON Bank’s iTEKAD initiatives reinforce its commitment to providing accessible financial solutions for Malaysians, while empowering the community to pursue their financial aspirations and achieve economic independence.
SURI (Suri Inspirasi Sdn Bhd) is a social enterprise that empowers underserved women from the low-income community, specifically mothers and youth from low-income (B40) communities, by equipping them with practical skills such as sewing, that would lead to sustainable income generating opportunities.
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