Extending a helping hand to the sun bears

Wild encounter: For Ng Bee Yin, 24, seeing orang utans is one of the benefits of volunteering at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, which shares the same forest as the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan, Sabah.

A volunteer’s wild experience at a sun bear rescue and rehabilitating facility.

Malaysians rarely volunteer because it is not a trend, and it is deemed to be unrewarding. This perception is wrong because from the volunteer programmes which I have joined, I have had fun, widened my social network, learnt new skills and, most importantly, gained a sense of self-worth and self-esteem.