My 2016 Birthday - Jungle Style

I was on my High Conservation Value assessment's field trip to Ulu Baram from 15th until 23rd June 2016. It happens to be my birthday was exactly the time i am still walking in the forest observing birds, mammals, frogs and enjoying the cooling nice morning mists. We didn't celebrate because none of my friends aware of my birthday but it doesn't really matters for me because what i really need is a prayers. Woke up in the morning, i say a little prayer for my birthday this year.

“O St Therese of the Child Jesus, it is my birthday today. I want to give thanks and praise Jesus for this 35 years of my life blessings. Teach me your little way which will bring me closer to Mama Mary and her son, Jesus. Continue to pray for me and guide me in my life journey on earth till the day that i die and meet you in Heaven. I love you Jesus, I love you Mama Mary, I love you St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Amen.”

I am thankful to God for the gift of life and i has been given a chance to live 35 years on this earth. I ask no more than a good health and be the lights to others. Love more and give more to people around me. Your grace is enough Lord. 

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Grateful Heart,

Little Rose

The Sanitary Project ~ Maliau Layung (Part 2)

The toilet structure is up. 

Back to the main toilet block, we have other tasks waiting. However, the structure team already successfully set up the toilet structure on the ground. So another task to be done is:

• Set up the toilet bowl and connect it to the PCV pipe to the septic tank
• Roofing
•  Walling
• Concrete ground
•  Door
• Painted the wood preservative
• Set up the tap by connect it to the existing water gravity
• Cover back the septic tank and keep the surrounding clear from all of our mess

On the 3^rd August afternoon around 3pm, the toilet completed. Yess!!! At last we made it. If not of our team work and cooperation during the process, we will not be able to make this project a success.

Paint the wood structure with wood preservative.

The group of villagers helping us with roofing. 

One of the villager, help us with the door. 

The toilet. 

The opening.

The most satisfied achievement for me is when I can engage the locals from this village to take part in the construction process. I believe that they will value and appreciate more of this toilet if they feel the toilet is theirs. The ownership of this toilet building and I am sure they will use it wisely and take good care of it. However, this is only my assumption, if I want to see the real scenario, I need to monitor and pay them a visit 3 months from now. I will update with you guys when I came back from my visit. Finger crossed on this because I always see our people did not appreciate “free stuff”. It will end up damaged or not functioning. I hope these local people appreciate our hardwork and sweats that we put on completing these two units of toilet.     

So, that is my story! Working with community is not as easy as people think but the satisfaction once seeing smile in the face of the people worth the difficulties and hard work that we've been through!.

Till we meet again!

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From the Diary of,

Little Rose

The Sanitary Project ~ Maliau Layung (Part 1)

Project Period: 26th July - 4th August 2012

View of one side of the houses in the village. 

Kg. Maliau Layung, Pitas not a well-known place but attract us to do something to change their way of living for a better. The sanitation system in this village is very poor. I visit this village twice and including this project will be the third time. During my first visit, I did not know that this village did not have any toilet because it is just an hour visit and that is my first time. During my second visit, I stayed overnight and this is where I start to look for a toilet. Hmmm… no toilet around and I have to sneak into the bush behind the house to pee but it is a rubber plantation near the house. No place to hide a little bit. I am in trouble.

Observing this scenario, my superior came up with a plan to start a sanitation project in three selected villages around this area. We are lucky because we have a very committed partner, the Raleigh International Borneo. With Raleigh International we welcome 36 high school students from Dr. Challoner’s High School, UK. They were accompanied by their teachers and assisted by Raleigh Project Managers. They have a total of 10 days with 8 days for completed the project in the selected villages.

I was assign to assist one of the groups named Charlie 3 to Kg. Maliau Layung, Pitas. Together with two Raleigh Project Managers and one teacher and her partner, we travel on the gravel road using 4WD. It takes us 1 hour 45 minutes to reach the village.

The 4WD vehicle need to cross the Bengkoka River

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the JKKK’s son. I was a little bit worried because I am new to this village and I still did not have any contact yet. New place, new people, new environment, new culture, new tradition, new language and all new things. Worried? For sure I am worried but in my heart I know I am not alone and Jesus is with me. He is my strength to overcome the entire difficult and complicated situation. I was lucky because my friend is local and he can speak the native language but he will move to the other two villages and left me alone with the 16 volunteers. Hmmph..

The digging team working hard to complete the digging task.

The first three days is super exhausted moment for me because we are working really hard. The weather is very hot, with bright sunlight from 6am until 6pm. We work from 7am – 12pm, rest from 12pm until 2pm and continue again from 2pm until 4.30pm. I am super tired because we are working hard on the project sites, digging the big hole (5ft depth, 9ft length and 5ft width) for two septic tanks. My arms, wrist and back are very painful at night. Maybe I put too much tense to my hands digging the hole, shoveling and cracking the tough soil.

Both of the septic tank securely set inside the big hole.

However, we are lucky because we manage to complete the digging task on the fourth day. Yippie!!!.. Seeing both of the tanks inside the hole relief me. All the hard works on the digging tasks is completed. Then we will move on with other tasks especially with the main toilet block with two units of squat toilet.

Till here. Continue in Part 2. 

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From the Diary of,

Little Rose    

Thanks Be To God....

Guys, i am so grateful for the life that God has given for me. Why suddenly i said so? Because i almost involved in an accident today. Today is my first time drive our 4WD to our operation area. So, the first experience always a new learning point and i learn a lotttttt today!

First thing happen is we bump into a logging truck. And it is going up hill and i learn a lesson which side i suppose to pass when i bump into a logging truck. Always go to the right side of the road. Yep, i did not know that is suppose to be done and i am a bit panic. The car off a few times. Berpeluh juga la sya owh. But we dide pass thru.

The next lesson is that, when the road is just grade and it is rain (not heavy rain), it makes the road a little bit wet and very slippery. I almost lost control of the car when we are going down the hill and on the left is ravine and on the right is hill and in the front is a sharp bend. Huhuhu.. We almost involved in accident and i am so grateful to God that we are safe. In my mind whether the car fall down the ravine or hit the wall. But, we are safe. Thanks be to God!

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Grateful,

Little Rose

NIBANG ~ The New Adventure & Challenges (The Photos)

WELCOME TO NIBANG
The hanging bridge on the Bengkoka River.

The Bengoka River, view from the hanging bridge.

Calm and clear water of Nibang River

The ground nuts (peanuts) raw for seedlings.

One of the survival ground nuts farm during this raining season.
Planted together with the rubber tree.

Hill paddy for their own consumption.

Selling young coconut with RM1 each. 

Hunting with hunting dogs for their own consumption and sell inside
their own village.

The House.
Still living with no basic needs such as electricity, water, road etc. 

last but not least, RICKY!
The Hunting Dog!

With Gratitude,

Little Rose

NIBANG ~ The New Adventure & Challenges (The Diary)

9th February 2012 (Thursday)
Diary #1 - Tired

I am almost dead today. Carrying my super duper heavy backpack with all kind of my belongings inside, all sorts of things I brought together for my three days stay in the village. Now, I am exhausted “tahap gaban”, all my back and my legs so painful now. It was two and a half hours walk crossing three rivers and four hills. Passing two different villages, I think its two villages but perhaps only one village with scattered houses along the road. I am not quite concentrate with my surroundings because of my heavy backpack. Not only that, I also forgot to take any photos during the walk, too tired to do something else in between my walk.

This is quite an interesting trip because I never did something adventurous like this before. The last walk I did was back to 2000, where I participate in “Belia Masuk Kampung” programme at Kg. Tiang Lama, Ranau, where we walk quite a while in the dark carrying our own bags to get to the village. This is what I call, “New Adventure Always Challenging and Interesting”.

This trip I need to do two things, first, I need to assist Raleigh Team on their Gravity Water System Project in this village and most of the things I do is communicate with the villagers. Second, I am doing a house to house survey on the possibilities of socio-economic projects that I can carry out in this village. Not an easy task to do when you did not have any point of contacts in the village. Zero, only a very little information I get from the old report back to 2009 programmed carried out here. So, I may say, I start from a little scratch. Quite interesting.

Arrive at the community hall and I stayed with the Raleigh Team there.


10th February 2012 (Friday)
Diary #2: Lost

What to do today? Walk to the primary school, looking for someone that I can talk with but not a good result. Met up with one of the villager and he told me, there were no men in the village for now because everyone is gone to the town. They were busy receiving their BR 1Malaysia. Without men in the village, how do I get assistance from the villagers to help Raleigh Team with the GWS? JKKK Chairman & Village Head is not in the village too. How? What to do? I am LOST.


11th February 2012 (Saturday)
Diary #3: Stranded

Wake up early as usual, following Raleigh daily schedule. Even though, I still feel very sleepy and lazy to wake up as early as the first bird song. Anyway, I am ready to go back to KM because I am supposed to go back today. My visit is only three days but actually I still didn’t get any information I need today. But, these past three days, heavy rain caused the water level in Nibang River arise. Therefore, my colleague can’t cross the river and they can’t get me out of the village too. So, I am stranded in the village till the weather changed.

I change my plan for the day. As the villagers pass by the community hall, they told me, the JKKK Chairman is in the village. Since I can’t go back today, I need to met up with the JKKK Chairman and discuss further on the GWS and also possibilities of the socio-economic projects. A HOPE begins here.


12th February 2012 (Sunday)
Diary #4: Hope

Things start slows but better to begin with something rather than nothing. This is a good start for the team. HOPE is in place. Even though we did not get any help yet but the leader of the village did promise us there will be a help for us tomorrow. Finger crossed but never lost hope. As for me, I must get to know more of the people in this village. This village will become my baby in future so I really need to start somewhere to create a good relationship with them. I need to gain their trust and hopefully they will see my sincerity. With that I put everything in God’s hand. I realize without Him taking part in whatever I am doing I will never success.


13th February 2012 (Monday)
Diary #5: Better

Slow but getting better. Today is a good sign when six villagers willing to help us, Jakiun, Nantui, Tododi, Magaya, Tinus and Jinudar. Six of hope that came by to lend their hands. Thank God for His kindness.

To be honest, I am not feeling well today. My right leg from my waist until my knees is so painful. I can’t really stand straight because it causes more pain on my waist. But, when the villagers are there to help us, I need to assist them. Ignore the pain, start with the work together with the villagers. So we start our work with identifying the breaks on the pipeline. We succeed identifying all 17 breaks on the pipe. Lucky us! That is why I say, today things become better than the day before. We are making progress.


14th February 2012 (Tuesday)
Diary #6: Love

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! It’s the day we celebrate the love that given by God to us to be shared with our families, friends and even strangers.

Divide the team into two groups. One, with carrying the rocks to the second tanks and the other group is replacing the break pipes. However as we go further with the pipes, we find more hidden breaks under the shrubs and underground. Therefore, we need to change our strategy, we need to recheck the pipe and yes, and we find even more breaks.

However, we manage to change a few breaking pipes and the other groups also making good progress by having more and more stones/gravel to the second tank. Good to see more things getting done. Thank God it’s Valentine’s Day too!


15th February 2012 (Wednesday)
Diary #7: Tough

The weather seems to be good and that is also a good sign right. Rainy days limits us from doing so many works but with this great weather more work can be done. Without recognizing that I am also having a sunburn on my face and behind my neck. Yai! It’s painful though.

The important task to be done today is transporting the two tanks to the village. A TOUGH one to be done if there is no help from the villagers. Lucky we have these two strong men helping us with floating the tanks to the village. Successfully done!


16th February 2012 (Thursday)
Diary #8: Sad

Today is my last day. My boss and my colleague are arriving today with Raleigh management team so, as well they are picking me up.

SAD? Yes, I am not feeling going back to KM now. I am happy helping the Raleigh team and get to know more about this village. I know more about who is in the village, what is the dynamic of the community in this village. I find out more and more interesting things going on in this village. They are accepting me more than a week ago. I am invited to enter the house, having a chit chat with the family and they are more open to share their stories with me. Now I can say, I feel WELCOME to this community. That is a huge success for me, a stranger from Sarawak, getting landed somewhere in the remote village of Pitas. A hardcore poverty community in whole Malaysia.

I am HAPPY to be here. God show me the way to help your people. I will RETURN to this village.

Anyone feel like to do some volunteer work on education especially teaching the adults Malay & English language? Or have any used clothes, shoes or bags? Feel free to drop a message in comments or just contact me. Little things that you do can make a big difference in others live. God bless.

Lots of Love,
Little Rose

I will be Away...

Meligan hanging bridge



Pack my bags... All the item needed for the trip already well pack in my bags...

Rations, check - Sleeping bag, check - Equipments for vanilla planting, check...

All other items are ready..

Waiting for my friend to pick me up and we are heading our way to the forest.

Hope everyting will be fine and finish with the Vanilla planting.

Wish you guys a Blessed Wednesday Morning!!!

Will be back tomorrow...

With Love,

Little Rose