Maybank donates solar-powered light bulbs to orang asli in Gerik

WHEN night falls, the orang asli community in Kampung Chuweh in the Royal Belum rainforest near Gerik are plunged into darkness.

The villagers have to end their activities after dusk, as there is no light in their settlement.

The self-sufficient village, which is located on an isolated island and an hour’s boat ride from the Pulau Banding jetty, has a population of nearly 80 villagers.

Village chief Gomba Adila, 59, said the villagers would turn in as early as 7pm because there was nothing much they could do in the absence of sunlight.

“We cannot sew clothes, mend fishing nets or read in the dark.

“Even though we have a generator, we only use them during special occasions,” he said, adding that the fuel for the machine was costly.

Another villager Mazlan Pandak, 28, said they could not afford to use kerosene lamps, as the price of the fuel had also skyrocketed in the last two decades.

“We use self-made oil lamps instead,” he said, adding that they had to top up the lamp with cooking oil once every hour to keep the fire burning. Oil lamps can be dangerous, as they could burn down our thatched huts if they are not handled with care,” he said.

However, the days of relying on oil lamps have finally come to an end as Kampung Chuweh villagers received solar-powered light bulbs from Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) recently.

Maybank, through its H.E.A.R.T (Helping Every Asian Rise Together) Project, has donated 100 light bulbs to the orang asli community.

Project co-ordinator Firdaus Shah Jonid said they had also distributed light bulbs to three other neighbouring orang asli villages.

He said a solar bulb, which costs about RM60, could operate for about eight hours after they were exposed to direct sunlight for half a day.

“I hope the light bulbs, which are imported from the United States, will bring positive changes to their lifestyle,” he said.

Maybank Group chief marketing officer Mohamed Adam Wee Abdullah said the project was launched in conjunction with Deepavali — the Festival of Lights.

He said Kampung Chuweh was their first destination, with plans to distribute the light bulbs to communities in East Malaysia and the Philippines during Christmas underway. Mohamed Adam said Maybank hoped its 22 million customers could play a role in supporting the project.

“We hope our customers will join us in the project to brighten up lives of the communities in need,” he said.

Following the success of the pilot project in Kampung Chuweh, Maybank also distributed solar-powered light bulbs to another two remote communities in Pensiangan in Sabah and Bliss, a small farming community in Cebu in the Philippines that was recently hit by super typhoon Yolanda, also known as Haiyan.

The public who want to donate can do so via Maybank account 564016-613170.

For more information about the project, visit www.maybankprojectheart.com.