The 11th and 12th February 2015 was a memorable day for us, as it was the first ever batch of Nokero Solar Lights donated to the Jakun tribes in Muadzam Shah, Pahang in Malaysia. We donated and distributed 240 solar lights to families living far inside the palm estates in Pahang. The lights were hand delivered to each family here, for a school and also for the common areas.
“We have a gathering of all the families here tomorrow, so we can use this lights when we gather here tonight.” – A Jakun tribe villager
It took us two days to locate and send all this lights from the first batch of sponsorship that I received from HelpAlliance, my German partners who are supporting the “Give Them Light- Asia’ project this year.
The ‘Give Them Light – Asia’ project is also been supported by many friends and donors from all around the world today. It was a fulfilling day for us. Thank you Katherine and Andrea in helping me with the distribution, I could have not done it without you.
The Jakun Tribe in the Muadzam Shah area live with no basic needs, no electricity, they are still in need of clean water, schools, medical care and proper homes. They seem to live like nomads or jungle people as they keep moving homes to find new land they can live on. Most of the families live far away from each other and have no proper social communities.
The main concern are the children who are having skin infections as they drink from the water holes that are polluted. Some of the families farm or fish for food but many do not have proper livelihoods. It may seem that they are used to this bad conditions of living as they wish to be far away from modern civilisation, but you can’t stop to think of the poor living conditions that they are use to today. Over 120 families are living in this areas, with no long term help from authorities, NGOs or societies.
In Malaysia deforestation is the leading cause of floods today, companies who are just into making a quick profit are clearing up lands for oil palm estates or new development. The rivers are polluted, the jungles are bare and tribes are loosing their identities. Oil palm plantations are the leading cause of deforestation in Malaysia and the East Coast Floods was the final crisis that took place on December 2014 which is a direct effect of all this deforestation, over 200,000 Malaysians lost homes and thousands even lives.
Who are we to blame now? We took lands and homes away from the caretakers of our nature, the tribes and today nature is giving us the answers. We forgot the connection we have with all humans, nature, the animals and our lands. We live by making profits, money as a chase, racial discrimination and religious politics. Where is the humanity here in Malaysia?
I often ask this question when I see these families, “Why are they still living with no electricity or clean water since Malaysia is somehow known as the most developed country in South East Asia?” but then, I stop waiting for that answer but to do something first.
The help the Jakun tribes here need are long term plans to give them moral support, proper wooden homes and tribal communities to live together with, they need education that will help the children grow as proud tribe members, they do not need modern facilities to change their cultural identities, they do not need brick homes or to be relocated in small ‘zoo’ like parks .
They do not need a new religion to feel like part of our society. The modern world may feel they know better when it comes to help, but modernisation based on our way of living is not what makes lives better for different cultures, mainly the tribal lives. (orang asli).
The Jakun tribe are in need of long term projects that will help them grow and protect their heritage. They need support from government bodies to allocated lands for them, the forest is their homes, they need help from societies and volunteers to educate the children in building better futures, they need private companies to build proper tribe houses, schools, clean water sources and communal areas. They are in urgent need of medical care too.
The ‘Give Them Light’ project is a gate opener for you, if an ordinary individual like me can get into this places to visit and send them solar lights, which they will be using for the next 3-5 years, why don’t you use this as an opportunity to visit them to research and study what are the other long term projects you can help with?
Tribes are caretakers of our heritage, forest and lands. Our work is still not done yet, there are still many tribes in Malaysia still in need of this solar lights, 850 more lights are needed in Kelantan today, so you can choose to help, share this out and get the word out to the right people. Or you can choose to sit back and wait for your heritage and history disappear as we just talk and do nothing.
It has always been your choice… click the link to make a small difference, or share this to the right societies for awareness.
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