Kota Kinabalu: A total of 190 Activity Centres for the Older Persons (PAWE) registered with the Social Welfare Department across Malaysia are actively conducting activities as the nation prepares to transition into an aging country by 2030.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Social Welfare Department director-general Datuk Che Murad Sayang Ramjan announced that the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) allocates RM50,000 annually to each PAWE to facilitate their programmes. These centres serve as a gathering place for former government officers, private sector employees, and the general public, fostering ideas and organizing engaging activities.
Datuk Che Murad highlighted that the activities at PAWE include health checks, physical training suitable for the elderly, and intergenerational programmes. These initiatives involve youth, enabling them to acquire skills such as handicraft. He shared this during the inauguration of a PAWE in Kampung Benoni, officiated by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, who is also the Papar MP.
He further elaborated on the intergenerational activities, emphasizing that they allow youth to learn skills with traditional and cultural significance. The department plans to introduce empowerment activities through the ANY WHERE, ANY PLACE, ANY TIME (PAWE@3A) programme, which facilitates social support and elderly development irrespective of physical structures.
In Sabah, 23 PAWE centres are operational, with a membership of 6,471, and two more centres are set to open in Kota Belud and Pantai Dalit in October. Kampung Benoni PAWE chairman Pg Abdul Halim Pg Rambang, a retired teacher, mentioned that the centre, operational since November last year, has organized seminars and currently has 155 registered members. He expressed gratitude for the PAWE building’s proximity to Assalam Benoni Jamek Mosque.
Furthermore, KPWKM deputy secretary-general (operation) Farah Adura Hamidi spoke about the 2025 Kembara Kasih KPWKM programme, aimed at bringing ministry services to rural communities in Sabah for the first time. The initiative includes launching mobile buses as Local Social Support Centres to address the challenges residents face in accessing ministry services.
Farah Adura added that these facilities, comprising buses and trucks, will be managed by the Sabah State Welfare Foundation to continuously support communities in need of expert advice, particularly in health-related matters.