By Salawati Haji Yahya –
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, OCT 29 – Inauguration of the Building Aftercare Support Association (AFSA) is intended to help improve the skills of Regulatory Associates (RS) in order to be able to continue a better and more conducive life and help them get a job or entrepreneurship commensurate with the qualifications and skills they have acquired.
“At the same time, it can help the Prison Department to reduce repeated admissions, further responding to the National Vision 2035 so that RS can become a quality and harmonious citizen of society based on the philosophy of Malay Islam Beraja (MIB)”.
The matter was shared by the President of AFSA, Hajah Juhana binti Haji Jaya while delivering a welcome speech at the Opening Ceremony of the AFSA Building in Jalan Kebangsaan, yesterday.
Present as the guest of honor and subsequently inaugurating the AFSA Building was the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and the Second Minister of Defence, Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (B) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof.
Also present was His Excellency Pehin Kapitan Lela Royal Dato Paduka Goh King Chin.
Hajah Juhana then shared the background and achievements of AFSA, whose members are made up of several government officials with experience in their respective fields.
“The AFSA association is currently developing three projects which are to provide training and skills to RS who are interested in agriculture, especially growing vegetables using greenhouses,” he added.
In addition, the continuation of Al-Quran memorization project for RS who had previously followed the Al-Quran Memorization Program run by the Prison Department, while AFSA’s third project was the conduct of Rehabilitation and Reintegration Effectiveness Workshops for members of AFSA, the Integration Center and RS.
“All these projects are with the help of funds that have been donated by Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on July 5, 2024,” he explained.
He further added, very persistent efforts from AFSA members together with various strategic partners entire nation has implemented various initiatives.
This includes getting a number of permanent business sites provided by the Sumbangsih Mulia Management, namely car wash services and food stalls run by RS itself which is supervised by AFSA.
In addition, the Carpentry Workshop located at the back of the building is run by Awang Abdul Aziz bin Dolah, an RS who successfully engaged in the carpentry business for about 10 years.
“Recently he signed an MoU with AFSA for permission to hold an entrepreneur workshop aimed at attracting RS to continue with existing skills,” he added.
In making these programs a success, he explained, AFSA has provided a golden opportunity that is very useful for RS to gain knowledge and experience with various courses, skills and work placements at study centers, non-governmental organizations and other strategic partners.
The guests of honor then visited the building to take a closer look at the available facilities such as counseling rooms, Al-Quran memorization rooms, bread and cake making demonstrations, greenhouses and handicraft workshops.
