Phase 1 update

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Selamat Datang!

The 3 weeks of Phase 1 of our Programme have now come to a successful close. How time flies! Our teams have spent the best part of the last month living and working in small rural communities, in remote environmental conservation areas or trekking through remote jungle. They’ve started building the infrastructure for much-needed village or forestry facilities, taught English, organised sports tournaments, learned how to cook local food and much more besides. Most importantly perhaps they’ve learned to adapt to life without the things that many of us take for granted: running water, electricity, beds to sleep in and the other material and psychological comforts of home.

The highlight of last week was undoubtedly Monday, when the 9 groups arrived back from their project sites and then stayed for a couple of nights in a small resort just outside Kota Kinabalu. After all their hard work, both staff and participants really enjoyed seeing each other, catching up with news and gossip, comparing mosquito and leech bites and finding out which project site they would be going to next. In addition, they finally had the chance to enjoy a warm shower and eat something other than camp rations! A good time was had by all.

We’ve now launched into Phase 2 with plenty of enthusiasm … and slightly larger muscles than we had before. Each participant staying for the full programme will complete one community, one environmental and one adventure project during their time here, changing project sites at the end of each 3-week phase. This means that at this moment each person is spending their first week with a new group, working on a different project, developing new skills, making more friends and getting a look at another part of Sabah.

In the meantime we’d like to let you know a bit more about what went on in Phase 1, so here’s a brief update:


ALPHA 1: Gravity Water Feed System - Kg Serudong Laut, Tawau District
Alpha 1 got to work on the gravity water feed system at Serudong Laut, their days starting early with a boat ride to work across a crocodile infested river. Luckily for them their early start meant that they finished work by lunch time leaving the afternoons free to spend with the community. Alpha 1 spent their time lugging very long pipes on their shoulders through dense, slippy jungle. They also developed some pretty impressive biceps from mixing cement and carrying it up to the water source. Apart from the manual labour, Alpha 1 taught English in the local school to locals aged from 6 to 60. The villagers can now do a pretty impressive rendition of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!


ALPHA 2: School Library - Mantanani Island, Kota Belud
Alpha 2 arrived on Mantanani Island to find cows, chickens and rubbish on the beach. Camp was established in the Community Hall but the start of the project was delayed by local politics (does this sound familiar?) and the group was unable to start until several issues had been resolved. In the meantime, Raleigh groups never do nothing so a trip to a neighbouring island was organised where they found a HUGE (they say) whale bone and a dead shark. Sports Day was organised on St Patrick’s Day and this cemented relations with the community. The local fishermen kept them supplied with fresh fish and a “noodle restaurant” was found in a local shack. Eventually - with only 4 days to go - they got the go-ahead to start the school library so the last few days were flat-out work to get as much done as possible before their return from island living to the real world.

ALPHA 3: Gravity Water Feed System - Ranau District
The entire group of Alpha 3 became experts on the installation of a rural water-system during this phase. Ostensibly, their task was to repair an existing gravity water feed system in Sosondoton village, but on closer inspection there turned out to be a greater amount of work than they previously thought. In the end, they installed several entirely new elements in the system, making life a whole lot easier for the delighted residents who now have access to clean water in all seasons. Firstly, the team constructed a dam for the nearby river. Then they put in no less than six vast rain water tanks and the concomitant piping for five village houses and the mosque. They’re probably the group with the largest thigh muscles by now, having scrambled up and down an enormous hill several times daily, running pipes and the like. They also made a superb job of integrating with the local community who welcomed them with a grand opening ceremony of traditional dancing and gong-bashing. The group then launched themselves into teaching English, learning how to plant cabbage, finding out all about rubber tapping and having a go at traditional dancing. They turned down invitations to go pig hunting, cockerel fighting and rice wine making. In return for their hard work, the villagers brought them food each day and the children hung around helping out and drawing the team members into various games. Much good fun was had by all.

ALPHA 4: Danum Valley, Environmental Conservation

Danum is a lush, lost, rainforest paradise which luckily remains beyond the itinerary of most tourists on the Borneo sightseeing trail. With little interference from humankind, the Danum jungle stays densely populated with a veritable cornucopia of living, breathing flora and fauna. This is one of the few places left on earth where animals retain the upper hand and scientists rate it among the top biology research centres. Among the more picturesque wildlife delights encountered by Raleigh participants, there are of course the leeches, which apparently still manage to find their way onto any body part of their choice. When the Danum team weren’t devising ways to vanquish the bug onslaught, they somehow found time to fit in a bit of suspension-bridge building. They moved what seemed like miles of cables (without the use of lorries) and on March 25th the group held a “Jungle Oscars” ceremony with much giving of presents, wearing of daft clothes and other general silliness.


ALPHA 5: Imbak Canyon, Environmental Conservation
Alpha 5 spent this phase in the infamous Imbak Canyon and did so with talent and enthusiasm. They survived the challenges of the remote and untamed Canyon, showing true tenacity all the way and becoming at one with nature, overcoming whatever obstacles the Canyon decided to throw at them. On the work front, they spent several days making improvements to Imbak’s BBC camp, making it feel much more like home for themselves and all those to follow in their footsteps. The team strenuously moved enormous piles of rocks and sand from the river up to one of the sites for the suspension bridge foundations in a timeframe that far exceeded the expectations of the local rangers. They went on to spend several days helping the rangers with some trail clearance and the demolition of some derelict structures in the vicinity of the camp. In their spare time (spare time?), the group were often found swimming in the river or the nearby waterfall, on nature walks with the rangers (at all hours of the day and night), making friendship bracelets for one another, charging the radio battery and playing poker. The team all thoroughly enjoyed the Imbak experience and did not let the jungle wear away their team spirit, holding a Raleigh record for no recorded arguments during the entire phase.

ALPHA 6: Batu Puteh - Eco Lodge
Alpha 6 arrived to a rapturous welcome from the whole village and have received enthusiastic assistance with their building project. But personal comfort took precedence over the official project ….. 4 long days, 3 different plans and a bout of deforestation produced a home fully equipped with a toilet, kitchen, living area and a floating plank of wood in the croc-infested river affectionately known as the bathroom. The main project is an eco-lodge designed to provide the village with a source of income as well as promoting eco-tourism. The achievements of the group exceeded the villagers’ expectation as vast amounts of wood were moved in preparation for the start of construction. As well as almost completing the wash-house foundations, Alpha 6 repaired a boardwalk and completed the floors for the first two chalets. The group were also able to get involved in community activities and were asked to help at a nursery - but that turned out to be plants, not children, much to the disappointment of a few female participants. Other community activities included Malay dancing, martial arts and cookery classes and - as a break from their hard work - Alpha 6 organised a trip to Sepilok to see the orang-utans in their sanctuary.

ADVENTURE PROJECTS

All three groups on their adventure phase completed the same activities, but in a different sequence. Alpha 7 started by diving and then proceeded to the trek, while Alpha 8 did things the other way around. Alpha 9 started with a short trek, then dived before continuing with another 4 days of trekking and trail maintenance. Then all three groups joined forces to climb Mount Kinabalu and become true Sabahans.

Dive training took place from Mamutik Island, a few kilometres off the coast of Kota Kinabalu. Successful participants gained their PADI Open Water Dive Certification and then helped with a coral planting project on the surrounding Tungku Abdul Rahman Marine Park reef, which is a government-designated Protected Area.

When trekking, the groups spent between 7 and 11 days in the Long Pa Sia region hiking through remote virgin rain forest and climbing to areas of stunning alpine forest before descending to visit magnificent waterfalls, wild orchid gardens and bat caves. A variety of camp craft skills were developed and participants were introduced to head hunters and invited to share their freshly-killed evening meals. As far as we know, we have the same number of heads as we had at the start …..

Alpha 9’s trail maintenance took place at Mahua Waterfall, cutting steps into what some have described as ‘Mount Everest’s Bigger Brother’. The steps now form part of a new trail for visitors to the area and will help keep the rest of the surroundings pristine.

Finally, even after all that exertion, all three groups positively sped up the side of Mount Kinabalu, pausing at the summit only to flex their muscles and take around five thousand photos each before heading back to civilisation, chocolate bars and (possibly) wheelchairs. With their new and improved Olympic levels of fitness, nothing can stop these participants now.

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