Community work, 'Raleigh Borneo 11K', Sabah, Borneo, Oct 2011, ID 1177

Clwyd and Gwynedd ACF

Expedition Overview

This expedition undertook a number of community, Environmental and Adventure projects. 61 Venturers took part in the expedition, supported by a Volunteer Manager team of 26. Each project was supported by a specialist team, based at Raleigh’s expedition operations centre called Fieldbase.

In the field, each project was led by volunteer project managers who performed the role of safety supervisor, facilitator and instructor, with overall responsibility for the project. However, the Venturer teams were expected to make the decisions affecting their working targets, living arrangements and effective day to day life.

These are the specialist projects I took part in on this expedition:

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) – Environmental Conservation

Probably the most exciting new conservation initiative in Borneo, this is a truly unique project to build a new conservation centre for Sun Bears based in Sepilok, on the eastern side of Sabah, a 7 hour drive from Kota Kinabalu.

The centre will aim to raise awareness of the plight of the Sun Bear. It will allow for the rehabilitation and protection of Sun Bears that have been in captivity or orphaned. Those that can’t be released back into the wild will have the best life possible. Through a visitor programme, the centre will become self-funding with any profits used for further research of the species.

As Venturers on this project we were completing a complex walkway through the natural environment of the Sun Bear, using only a near-extinct wood called Belian (commonly known as ‘Iron wood’) reclaimed from a disused Rhino enclosure. This development will allow future visitors to the BSBCC to view the Sun Bear in its natural habitat. The BSBCC has support from its neighbours at the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre where similar care and rehabilitation is given to our primate ancestors.

Kampung Alab Lanas, Keningau – Community Development

Education is a basic need which most western societies take for granted. In Malaysia the Government provides educational facilities for children aged 6 and above with primary and secondary schools. Often young children have to travel for several hours to reach their local school.

The Ministry of Education provides schooling for all children - however in order to start school a basic level of reading and writing is expected. This is often not possible for children in remote areas, therefore a Raleigh project partner PACOS have made it their priorities for all the Kampungs (Villages) to have access to a Kindergarten.

Kg Alab is located in the Keningau district, approximately 80km along gravel track from Keningau town. The people of this village had a main income from rice grown in local ‘paddy fields’ as well as a small secondary income from rubber tapping.

We worked alongside the local builder who had planned the construction, of which we helped. Only a small number of members of the village had Basic English language skills which posed problems for us but was eventually overcome. We were amazed at how much the men of Alab had to teach us about their way of construction and in return we provided English classes. In the time we were there we did about 10 sessions for adults and children. This facility will now allow children of the village and surrounding areas to begin in education.

Thank you very much for your contribution towards my expedition in Borneo. I also have an extended thanks from Raleigh International for supporting a Venturer on Raleigh Borneo 11K.
Rowan Burt

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