Friday, October 1, 2010

Operation Botak

Hi everyone! The sultriness after the 30-Hour Famine is getting cold. If the campers paid attention to my opening speech, I mentioned about the other project "Operation Botak" which organized by World Vision Malaysia. I would like to thank all my friends and family members who have supported me in this Operation Botak.
THANK YOU!

Thanks for your generous support of purchasing the Mobile Resource Centre for the children in Kota Belud and Tuaran, in Sabah! The Mobile Resource Centre is a project handled by Pusat Kebajikan Good Shepherd and they're one of the local NGOs World Vision helps to support.

Here is the adaption from progress report of the project:

THE PROJECT RATIONALE
More than 55% of Sabah’s population is located in rural areas. The villages are scattered and
sparse due to Sabah’s vast land and undulating terrains. This means children have to walk
for hours to reach schools, some as far as 10km away.
Access to learning resources is scarce for most of these children who live far away from
their schools. The State Library had initiated 13 mobile libraries and 55 village libraries in a
move to cultivate the reading habit in young rural children. This, however, is insufficient and
there is still a great need in this area if more children are to be reached.

OBJECTIVES
  • To improve access to learning through educational activities and reading materials for primary school children, particularly those who live in the deep interiors of Sabah
  • To inculcate the passion for learning and the quest for knowledge in the young children
  • To encourage self improvement through reading and participation in various activities
  • To promote positive habits such as reading and critical thinking
  • To cultivate a strong sense of community-living and sharing
  • To encourage participation and ownership from the community in the development of their children
ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR
The Mobile Resource Centre (MRC) commenced operations in September 2009 with activities conducted in Kampung Lokub. The target group are children from pre-school and primary school.
From its base at Kota Belud within the District of Tuaran, the MRC has expanded its coverage to the following five rural villages:
  • Kampung Bangkahak
  • Kampung Lapai, Tenghilan
  • Kampung Mantaranau, Kiulu
  • Kampung Lokub, Kiulu
  • Kampung Pukak, Kiulu
NEXT STEPS
The MRC is still at its infancy with work initiated in two villages in June 2010 and another
two villages in August 2010. At each session, data is collected on the participants, that is, name, age, village where they come from, and name of school.
We hope to expand the data collection to include medical records of the children, and information on their parents and siblings (name, age, occupation). It is envisioned that the MRC will eventually be a community development project where PKGS can extend its programmes to the youths and mothers in the villages through empowerment programmes and annual medical services.
The initial staff strength of the MRC is four persons. After a year of operations, another team of four persons will be formed. Two persons from the original team will lead each of the teams respectively. We hope to replicate this model of staffing as the MRC grows in its outreach to the rural villages.


Adapted from World Vision Malaysia Website, Compiled by Chee Hoe