BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Society for the Management of Autism Related Issues in Training, Education and Resources (SMARTER) Brunei has set up a training company on first aid, CPR and managerial roles to help sustain the organisation.

Smarter President Malai Hj Abdullah Malai Hj Othman told The Brunei Times yesterday that all profits generated will be donated to SMARTER.

Malai Hj Abdullah said, every now and then, the non-government organisation (NGO) – which helps individuals with autism – faces financial difficulty in sustaining itself.

Such difficulties entail paying his staff’s wages, among others.

The NGO relies on public and corporate donations, as well as school fees from their students to keep them running.

The president and owner said he recently set up his own company, SMARTER Training and Learning Company, to sustain SMARTER for the long run.

“We are struggling at SMARTER, but we are not going to sit down and do nothing about it,” he said.

The president already has accreditation from Kuala Lumpur to train others in management, and is licenced by the Ministry of Health to provide training in first aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillation (AED).

SMARTER staff who also have a licence to train others in carrying out first aid, CPR and AED, will help conduct the training.

Malai Hj Abdullah said they have already engaged a large company in Brunei to begin training with them this weekend.

“All profits will be donated to SMARTER. We will be utilising this company to help support SMARTER in terms of funds and this is part of my social entrepreneurship for sustainability,” he said.

He said SMARTER already has a bakery, among others, to help generate income to keep them afloat. However, they still need more funding and, instead of asking for donations, Malai Hj Abdullah is banking on this additional new company to help them financially.

“The tagline for this new company is ‘Key Towards Excellence’. Key means knowledge and empowerment to yield excellence,” he said.

The president expressed hopes that other companies will learn of this new company and engage them in the near future.

“We will be charging a market price at $100 per person per day for the training,” he said.

The training will be conducted at SMARTER’s newly located branch in Kg Mata-Mata.

The Brunei Times