K. TAMILSELVI, 33, faced a tough time making ends meet and taking care of her six children with the meagre income of less than RM400 that her husband earns monthly.

Ever since she quit from her housekeeping job at a hotel in Penang in 2006, she had been hunting for a job to help supplement the income of her husband, who works as a fishmonger assistant in a wet market.

Her troubles ended when she got a job — thanks to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s e-Kasih programme. She is one of three Penang island participants who landed a job under the programme.

Penang Labour Office senior assistant director Marina Ibrahim said Tamilselvi had been offered a sales assistant’s post at the Sunshine outlet in Air Itam.

“Tamilselvi is one of those in the hardcore poor category who was chosen as her total household income was below RM400 with six children ranging from six months to 16 years old.

“She will also receive a bicycle to help her get to work. The Sunshine outlet has also agreed to provide her youngest child with milk supply for a year,” said Marina.

Tamilselvi, who was present at the ‘Job Placement Programme’ organised by the Penang Labour Office at Penang Times Square recently, thanked the government for organising such programmes to help the hardcore poor.

“I was lucky that the village headman in my area had registered my name under the e-Kasih and I got selected.

“Otherwise, I could not imagine how I would be able to survive with my children depending on my husband’s income,” she said.

Single mother Sarena Kong Abdullah, 48, who was attending the programme for the first time, said she wanted to secure a permanent job after her husband passed away due to lung cancer six years ago.

Sarena, who has two children aged 15 and 16, said she had applied for several clerical positions and hoped to get a job offer soon.

Marina said 24 employers took part in the one-day programme offering 1,200 vacancies in all categories of jobs such as technical, engineering, clerical, operations, executive level, in the service sector and sales.