BENTONG – Sharin Terunus along with nine other Orang Asli families at Kampung Lubuk Kasai near Karak here now have proper roofs over their heads.
Their new homes were built from wood, bamboo and Nipah leaves. were completed last month to replace the previous structures which were either badly damaged or swept away by floodwaters last December.
Their homes were built by employees from edotco Group, one of Asia’s leading telecommunications infrastructure services companies with its partner, Saora Industries, as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
The 20-year old from the Temuan tribe said after their traditional homes were destroyed by ravaging floods on Dec 18, most of them had to seek temporary shelter under plastic sheets and canvas in their village.
“The villagers are grateful to the volunteers from the company who helped us to clean the settlement and rebuild the houses to ensure we can return to our normal lives. They even installed solar panels and provided a clean water supply. We now enjoy living in our new homes.”
“The settlement was in a total mess after the floods and since the homes were destroyed, most of us were forced to live without electricity and clean water for several days,” he said.
Meanwhile, edotco Group Malaysia’s country managing director Wan Zainal Adileen Wan Puteh said works to rebuild the Orang Asli homes began in January and was completed in mid-February.
“A huge number of employees volunteered to help rebuild the homes. It was an enriching experience for us to learn to build the homes from scratch using natural resources including wood and jungle products.”
“Before the floods, the villagers utilised the nearby river water for their daily needs and relied on candles and kerosene lamps at night which is unsafe. As part of the CSR efforts, we provided their homes with solar panels and clean pipe water supply,” he said, adding the settlement is now equipped with a central toilet facility that ensures proper hygiene.
He said the new homes were designed to suit the Orang Asli lifestyle and it was completed based on the input gathered from the Orang Asli.
Wan Zainal Adileen said the edotco Group aims to serve the marginalised communities both in Malaysia and abroad.
He said in 2019, edotco Malaysia powered three Orang Asli villages in Pos Lemoi, Cameron Highlands, with electricity benefitting more than 600 villagers, which has significantly improved their living standards.
They had also provided clean water and basic lighting to 48 houses for the Orang Asli community in Kampung Keding and Kampung Bangkong, Pos Bersih in Perak.
Source: NEW STRAITS TIMES
