R.I.S.E. participant Noor Lizah Salman's story
Noor Lizah Salman“I am proud to represent my country, Malaysia in the recent Para ASEAN Games. My dreams have definitely come true. All this will not be possible if not for Maybank Foundation’s R.I.S.E. programme.”
- Wheelchair bound since the age of 15 due to a nerve damage
- Bakes and sells cookies and cakes
Noor Lizah was forced to face a new reality of life at a tender age of 15, when nerve damage left her paralysed waist below. Life was a constant struggle since and things got more difficult when she became a mother of two. She struggled to overcome her fear of the future coupled with the negative thoughts that clouded her mind.
Having difficulty to makes ends meet, she attempted to start a business of baking and selling cookies. Her business of two years was barely fruitful with an inconsistent monthly income of RM550. Her lack of motivation had allowed her to limit herself from going the extra mile for her business.
“Maybank Foundation’s R.I.S.E. programme has taught me that even if you are a Person With Disabilities (PWD), you should not depend solely on people’s help. We need to continuously work to improve ourselves. Be independent always!”
“I want to expand my business even further, and I am planning to open a bigger stall and give job opportunities to other PWDs.”In 2014, Maybank Foundation’s Reach Independence & Sustainable Entrepreneurship (R.I.S.E.) programme empowered Noor Lizah with renewed hope, confidence and outlook on life. During a mentoring session, she shared that she has now completely eliminated negative self-talk of any kind and is now able to handle any problem calmly. Her thought process has become more positive, that she is no longer afraid to make difficult decisions or take risks.
According to Noor Lizah, the training has not only equipped her with business skills, but also life skills that have now helped improved her quality of life. She has diversified her products and range of customers. In fact, in her words, she now has “too many customers” as a result of her new marketing strategies learned from the training. She is now bold to ask for constructive feedback from her customers and consistently makes improvements. Her monthly income is now close to RM 5,000 from just her business alone.
Prior to Maybank Foundation‘s R.I.S.E. programme partnership with People Systems Consultancy (PSC), Noor Lizah started playing bowling in 2009, due to her interest in sports. She then realised that she had a huge interest in it.
In 2010, she was selected by Majlis Sukan Negara to represent the national team in bowling and started attending trainings. Though things seemed to be looking up for her then, it was still a very challenging time as she couldn't fully focus on her new found interest while she still battles with negative thoughts.
Maybank Foundation’s R.I.S.E. programme has empowered and transformed Noor Lizah. With the change of mindset, she started training intensively from March 2017 for the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Para ASEAN Games. She attended full time trainings, 5-days a week without fail, which now seems to be a breeze for her as she no longer finds her disability a reason to not pursue her passion for sports. Her efforts were worth it when she won a Gold medal for the country in the recent Kuala Lumpur 2017 Para ASEAN Games for the tenpin bowling event. She is overwhelmed with joy to have been able to contribute to her motherland despite her disabilities.
Noor Lizah expressed her utmost gratitude to Maybank Foundation’s R.I.S.E. programme for evoking a spirit of confidence that she never knew she had, which empowered her with the mental strength needed to win. She further urges that the programme needs to be made available for more disabled people who are under similar circumstances as hers to help empower and realise their potential. She wants more People With Disabilities to believe that they can dream big and that anything is possible as long as they put their mind into it.
Noor Lizah has become a very optimistic person, who now aspires to improve her business further where she can provide job opportunities for other disabled people and empower them with her skills and knowledge. Now that she has a career in sports as well, Noor Lizah desires to contribute to the country’s gold medal count in the upcoming 2018 Para ASEAN Games, to be held in Indonesia.
Aside from all of these, what brings immeasurable joy to Noor Lizah is when her children noticed a drastic transformation of character in her after being part of Maybank Foundation’s R.I.S.E. programme. Hearing them acknowledge her achievements and positive character, made her realise that there was a purpose to all of her previous struggles. She is now able to allocate money for her children to further their studies, overcoming a fear she once had.
Through Maybank Foundation’s R.I.S.E. programme, she was able to save enough money to own a Perodua Bezza, solving her family’s transportation issues. Noor Lizah now sleeps peacefully at night without being troubled by guilt or fear of any kind. She hopes to be able to move out from her flat, into a terrace house and works consistently towards that goal.
“I feel immensely grateful to Maybank Foundation’s R.I.S.E. programme as this programme has become a life changer for me both, personally and professionally.”
