The Context:
Long Lamam is a remote village of 300 inhabitants from the Penan tribe in Ulu Baram, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Many adults in the community have not had the opportunity to attend formal education, hindering their integration into wider society as their traditional way of life in the rainforests of Borneo is increasingly eroded.
It is now home to Tadika Pawah, the first and only formal education facility in the community. Tadika Pawah provides pre-school education to children in the village ensuring they are ready for primary school which they will eventually attend in government boarding schools away from the village. Tadika Pawah also brings to the doorstep of the village what is for many their first encounter with formal education, and therefore an initial understanding of what education entails and its importance. It is the hope that the existence of the pre-school will mitigate drop-out rates amongst the children of the community as they move on to boarding school with its challenges – it is still rare to find someone in the community who has completed secondary education.
Tadika Pawah is operated by Persatuan Perkembangan Pendidikan Orang Pribumi and supported by Barefoot Mercy, under its Gift of Hope initiative, which spearheaded the construction of a permanent school building and runs a student sponsorship scheme to support the operating costs of the pre-school. There are currently 32 students in the pre-school.
How We Want To Help:
We are Team Herbies Freewheels, a group of colleagues and participants in OCBC Cycle 2018 taking place in Singapore on 6th May 2018. We are seeking sponsorship for our efforts in the race and in so doing, raise funds to sponsor at least one, hopefully two, children in the pre-school.
Each annual sponsorship costs SGD 850 and provides for uniforms (4% of total amount), educational aids (31% of total amount) and two meals a day (65% of total amount) for the children. Due to the remote location, most items have to be transported in including food items, in particular to ensure a consistent supply of protein sources such as meat and milk to ensure that the children are adequately nourished. This means we are therefore hoping to raise at least SGD 850 and a stretch target of SGD 1,700.
How You Can Help:
To our friends and colleagues (and anybody else who wants to get involved), sponsor our efforts through this page and make our grit and sweat count towards a good cause! Help us forge a connection to a rural remote community as our wheels hit the tarmac on 6th May 2018!
All funds raised will be channelled to Tadika Pawah. If you would like to follow the progress of the pre-school and the community, you can do so here: https://www.facebook.com/barefootmercy/
