By KT Leong
The Giving a Helping Hand for Orang Asli project that was organised by the Junior Chamber International Kinta (JCI Kinta) and Apex Club of Penang, was completed at Kampung Makmur, within Tanjung Rambutan. It had successfully delivered necessities to 80 Orang Asli families, especially single-mother families at Kampung Makmur.
This is the first collaboration between JCI Kinta & Apex Club of Penang to organise such a meaningful project to help the Orang Asli community in Perak. The aim of Giving a Helping Hand is to help lessen the burden of single-mother families and also to create awareness to the public on how they can help the Orang Asli families.
As Perak has the second largest population of Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia, it means that this community needs more help and focus from the public. However, the truth is, the public may not have the opportunity to give them a helping hand as most of the Orang Asli villages are hidden far inside the forest or mountains.
Fortunately, an active citizen who is always concerned for the Orang Asli communities, named ‘Uncle Patrick’, volunteered to be their guide for the project. He’s well known among the Orang Asli communities in Perak, especially Kinta District, as he always volunteers to help out the Orang Asli communities.
The project started on December 10, at 11 am and ended at around 1:30 pm. There were a total of 27 volunteers from both Junior Chamber International Kinta (JCI Kinta) and Apex Club of Penang. The necessities that were donated included clothing, food, mask, toys & stationeries.
The organising team mentioned that the best return they could get from the Orang Asli communities were the smiles on their faces. The kids were joyful with the new outfit & stationeries while the mothers planned on what can be cooked for their lovely families. This warm & harmonious scene was the reason for the organising team to keep on their effort with the Orang Asli communities.
Lastly, the organising team also mentioned that their efforts were not enough to help all the Orang Asli communities, and invited the public or NGOs who are interested to join in this meaningful Orang Asli project in the future.
For those who are interested to know more about the organisation, they may browse through JCI Kinta website (www.jcikinta.org), follow JCI Kinta & Apex Club of Penang Facebook page.
