The Will To Succeed

Poon Li-Wei sits down with Datin Goh Suet Lan to talk about how Women of Will is committed to empowering disadvantaged women.

“Are you Li-Wei?” A cheerful voice chimes from the makeup chair, and I find myself face-to-face with Datin Goh Suet Lan, the president of Women of Will (WoW). Insisting profusely that I shelve the formalities and call her Suets instead, she carries herself with understated elegance, frame after frame, throughout the shoot. But behind her winsome smile, she divulges to me that she was once a little girl who had to bear the frustration of seeing women trodden upon in society, and who witnessed the public standing by while a man hit a woman. “That is an injustice to any human being,” she declares, vehemently. And with that, our conversation unearths her quiet resolve and passion in building women up.

Women of Will

WoW opens their doors to women who have been abandoned or abused by their husbands. Left with the responsibility of being the sole breadwinner of the household, WoW firmly believes that they deserve more than handouts. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” she recites their motto. A small loan of two thousand ringgit is given and repaid, free of interest, at the rate of RM30 every week. Why not a bigger amount? “Because the women we help are unsure of what they would like to do but they are capable of something small, such as a nasi lemak store. Two thousand is a manageable sum that can be repaid within a year and a half and won’t incapacitate them,” she replies. In addition, they’re required to attend a one-day entrepreneurship programme that will teach them the basics of financial management: keeping tabs on profits and losses, competitive pricing, and marketing skills.

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