Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Wanita dan Keluarga (JPWK)

The Women and Family Development Committee (Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Wanita dan Keluarga or JPWK) were established in January 2019. Officially appointed by the state government, each JPWK comprises of 15 all-women committee members in the 40 state constituencies in Penang. This means that there are 600 women grassroots leaders in the communities. It is a formal structure under the state government with the main function of organizing women empowerment and family development programmes.  JPWK is unique for being the first of its kind in Penang and the nation. While JPWK is under the purview of EXCO for Women and Family Development, PWDC manages the committee and its programme approval together with budget processing. PWDC is also tasked to monitor and evaluate JPWK and build their capacity.

Tasks of JPWKs:

1. Plan and implement women and family development programme to increase awareness and empower women and families in the local community
2. Identify potential local women talent for leadership development
3. Serve as a platform for women from residents’ associations, NGOs, various organizations, and the local community to form a network to work together, develop programmes, share experiences and support each other

One JPWK is set up in each of the 40 constituencies in Penang and consists of 15 women committee members:

• 1 Chairperson
• 1 Secretary
• 1 Treasurer
• 12 Committee Members

The committee is encouraged to have the composition of:

• 40% of representatives from the political parties, 40% of representatives from the local NGO, and 20% local women
• Representation from all ethnic and age groups.

Project Management Workshop

The workshop shared the fundamentals of project management with its approval process for all JPWK members. All participants presented mock projects with input from PWDC.

Leadership Development Module

The module catered specially for JPWK develops women leaders who are gender-sensitive.