KOTA KINABALU: A single mother making it big in business; a general worker climbing to successful heights after venturing into gold sales; and a woman from a small town learning the ropes in a male-dominated sector.

       These are some examples of the stories recorded in a book entitled 100 Inspirational Women in Sabah 2021, which will be launched on Saturday (Nov 20) and available to the public.

       The book is a collaboration between the Sabah Women Small and Medium Industry Association (IKSnita) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sabah with the support of the state government.

       It will be launched in conjunction with Toh Puan Norlidah RM Jasni’s birthday at the Sabah International Convention Centre.

       Norlidah is the wife of Sabah’s head of state Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.

       IKSnita president Datuk Dg Khatijah Bachtiyal said the book features 100 inspirational women in Sabah selected through various methods including background and internet searches, ground work and community information.

       They beat the odds and excelled in their respective fields, she added.

       She said among the 100 are many previously unknown women, who each have a story to share and the results to back it up.

       “We want to use this as a motivation to all women, to empower one another and to tell the world that we are capable of achieving so much,” Khatijah said.

       She said the chosen 100, aged from 20s to 70s, have made contributions in one way or another in business, sports, community and the state.

       “We are also telling the government that we have more than enough (potential) candidates to fill the 30% 'quota' of lawmakers and decision makers in the state,” she said.

       The book, which took about a year to get published following more than six months of research and two months of compilation, will be distributed first to selected government departments and agencies including the state library and archives.

       Earlier, Prof Dr Rozita @ Uji Mohammed from UiTM Sabah said the book also portrays equality regardless of the individuals' origins.

       “We want to let women know that it doesn’t matter what your background is. As long as you do your best, you can achieve great things and become an inspiration to others,” she said.