Hashimah (seated centre) with her son Muhamad Nasharudin (back row), Siti (seated left) and Nurul Nuha (seated right).
SIBU (May 8): The resilience of Hashimah Termizi who has beaten all odds to become a successful entrepreneur of a few businesses including construction is an inspiration this Mother’s Day.
In an interview with thesundaypost, the 47 year old mother who single handedly brought up her three school going children shared how she started with nothing and knew almost nothing after her divorce in 2013.
“I was only a housewife then with only Form 3 education and no skills. I could only sew clothes which I had learned from my former mother-in-law.”
“But I knew I had to make something work or else my family would not survive. So, I tried making Nasi Lemak to sell to schools,” she said.
The gutsy lady said her driving force were her children as her youngest was only in Primary 6 and oldest in Form 6 then.
She started selling Nasi Lemak ‘illegally’ at her children’s boarding school which the pupils loved.
As she did not have a licence to sell food at the school, she had received numerous warnings from the school administration and her children Muhamad Nasharudin Safiriee and Siti Nabiha Safiriee had also been warned by the school.
“I remember Siti cried and explained to her teacher that she wanted to help me earn some money. But, in the end, I had to stop selling Nasi Lemak because it was not permitted,” she said.
Around that time, she thankfully got a deal to sell Nasi Lemak to a school in Durin near here.
“Every morning, I started cooking Nasi Lemak at 4am. By 6am, I was already out of the house. I did not have a car at that time so my brother gave me his car so I can deliver 90 packs of Nasi Lemak every day,” she recalled.
When asked how she got the deal, Hashimah said she had applied for a business license and it was approved. The school at Durin was her first tender.
“Before this, someone had suggested that I get a business license, which I did. However, to apply for a business license I need to have savings in my bank account which I did not have.
“I then applied for a loan of RM2,500 through Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) and got it. With money in my account, I then applied for a business license,” she added.
She had no proper income back then and the little she had earned was from some sewing service and Nasi Lemak.
“Life was tough. I had so many worries and sometimes I almost gave up but I could not because my children needed me and they gave me the fighting spirit. I needed to be strong for my family.”
“I learned to be independent and to stay strong. My parents did not know about my hardship because I did not tell them and did not ask for their help,” she shared.
Today, Hashimah is an entrepreneur of a few businesses including construction with three adult children. Muhamad Nasharuddin is now 27, Siti, 26, and her youngest Nurul Nuha Safiriee is 22.
Her success from sheer hard work and grit is nothing short of admirable. Even her eldest child said so.
“I have learnt so much from her resilience and never give up spirit,” said Muhamad Nasharudin with pride.
On Mother’s Day, Hashimah urged all women, especially single mothers, not to give up on dreams and families.
from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3FrVALJ
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