Tiffin Jeiwa, a symbol of unity

Tiffin Johor Empowerment of Intellectual Women Association (Jeiwa) is a symbol of unity, and the story is the inspiration for Malaysia which helps to support survivors of domestic violence.

Jeiwa founder Ina Fadilah Nizar said Tiffin Jeiwa customers encompassess all races, which symbolises unity.

“Tiffin Jeiwa is a platform to share stories and it is a story of inspiration for Malaysia and I feel very grateful because it became the story of Tiffin Jeiwa,” she told Sinar Daily after the official launch of the Sehati Sejiwa campaign.

Ina started Jeiwa with her history as she won her case against domestic violence when she realised many women in Malaysia are facing domestic violence but cannot end it or come up with a solution due to stigma and are aware of what to do.

“They are educated and have their income and they are intellectual women. We established Jeiwa and learned by organising programmes that suit their lifestyle and mentality.

“We understand that women come from different backgrounds such as making snacks (kuih), so we want to enhance their skills professionally and make them look good, so we do programmes to empower them in that way,” she said.

Ina added more than 400 programmes have been organised in five years worldwide and not only in Malaysia.

“We also presented our research paper at the World Women’s Conference and also established Jeiwa powerhouse, the first Malaysian woman-integrated community centre, located in Paradigm Mall in Johor Bahru.

“The centre serves as a business-shared facility where every woman can come and do many activities,” she added.

That is how Tiffin Jeiwa came to be.

“We made the Tiffin Jeiwa to fund and build that centre and once completed, we noticed there are many demands for Tiffin Jeiwa and not just retail market but also corporate companies such as hotels and many more.

“It became a huge business and from that moment we started not only focusing on empowering women through programmes but proceeds to the sale of Tiffin Jeiwa.

“This is how we were able to sponsor artists like Nur Amiratul Farahin Abdul Rahman who is mute and deaf,” she said.

She added that Jeiwa also uses the money to organise more high-value events and also create an income channel for women to sell products.

But why tiffin carriers? It all stems from her love of cooking and drawing.

“I went for a ride on Northern Express in Sabah and provided a tiffin carrier, that’s how I started to think of it as it creates a nostalgic experience and is very Malaysian.

“I also noticed there are so many things that we place in our culture and Tiffin Jeiwa represents women as both are resistant, durable and beautiful,” she said.

Ina is the one who comes up with design as painters don’t mix with people and don’t know the market and her role is to seize the high demand in the market.

“We design Tiffin Jeiwa every season and have 180 designs now and we also have collectors who collect all our Tiffin Jeiwa."

Commenting further, she said Jeiwa is adopting a very strategic approach by partnering with global brands to penetrate the international market.

“Our Tiffin Jeiwa category is not only corporate gifts but has also become a fast-moving tourism good and everybody wants to purchase it which has become a necessity.

“We have to position the story of Malaysian craft properly because it's not just about buying it's not just about buying a tiffin carrier, it's about how you can make it become a conversation piece,” she said.