KUCHING: The Sarawak United National Youth Organisation (SABERKAS) continues to strengthen its role as a catalyst for youth and community development throughout the region via the successful implementation of 244 programmes and activities from November 2024 to June 2025.
SABERKAS President, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the programmes covered various scopes including social welfare, sports and recreation, culture, seminars, workshops, briefings, women's affairs, skills training, education, as well as entrepreneur and economic development.
"A total of 244 programmes have been successfully implemented by SABERKAS in this six-month period alone. This shows the high commitment and active involvement of all branches and bureaus throughout Sarawak," he said in a press conference after the 59th Sarawak SABERKAS Supreme Committee Meeting, here, on Thursday.
The Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development expected the number to continue to increase to over 500 programmes by the end of 2025 as various other initiatives are planned to be implemented.
According to him, programmes currently planned for the second half of 2025 include Youth Glamping at Layar, Betong in August, the SABERKAS President's Cup Futsal Championship in November, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy Programme and the Tunas Madani Programme in Lundu as well as the agriculture and food security programme, in line with the Sarawak Premier's aspiration to strengthen the state's food security.
Dato Sri Abdul Karim also commended the SABERKAS Women's Affairs Bureau as one of the more active bureaus with the implementation of various family and community programmes at the grassroots level.
So far, he revealed, the total number of SABERKAS members has reached 55,992 people, involving 494 units and 82 branches throughout Sarawak.
In terms of financial position, SABERKAS remains stable with efficient asset management and regular monthly income.
The financial report presented during the meeting showed that the organisation successfully invested RM3 million in fixed deposits from unused surplus funds.
“This proves that we have strong and sufficient funds to implement long-term programmes that benefit the people,” he explained.
Meanwhile, SABERKAS also expressed its commitment to humanitarian efforts through the SABERKAS Caring Unit, which actively went down to the field for relief missions during disasters such as floods and fires, especially in Bintulu and Miri earlier this year.
At the same time, Dato Sri Abdul Karim also envisioned future plans for SABERKAS to have its own headquarters complete with a multi-purpose hall that can be used for youth and community activities.
“I believe the time has come for SABERKAS to have its own headquarters on land, like Wisma Sabati which is actively used for various purposes,” he said. -UKASnews
