KOTA KINABALU: A recent trip to a remote village in Sabah has inspired one lass from Kuala Lumpur to help the villagers there live a better life.
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| Suganya Subramaniam, 22, Kuala Lumpur |
Suganya Subramaniam, 22, said she did not enjoy the journey to Kampung Tudan when she first travelled to the hamlet in October last year.
“Other people might not want to travel on the same rocky road again after their first trip because of its terrible condition.
“But when the villagers told me that they have no money to treat their sick children, it made me more determined to carry out a project to help improve their livelihoods,” said the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) student during a recent press conference at Sabah Tourism Board’s office here.
Suganya, a second-year food science student, is part of the UMS team that won the national-level Enactus competition held in Kuala Lumpur recently.
Enactus, which operates in 36 countries, is a community of student, academic and business leaders using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a more sustainable world.
The UMS students will be representing Malaysia to compete in the Enactus World Cup competition in London in September.
She and her team visited village five times to teach the locals how to cultivate mulberry, besides processing plant leaves into tea, food and cosmetic products.
To date, 65 out of about 700 villagers have joined the project.
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| Kampung Tudan village head Golonius Gibin, 53. |
Village head Golonius Gibin, 53, said of the village’s young residents were keen to be part of the project.
“We are thankful to UMS for getting us involved in the project, which I believe will help our people, especially the jobless youngsters, earn extra money.
“Currently, the size of our mulberry plantation is about two acres (0.81 hectare) of and we expect to expand it by another 10 acres (4 hectares),” he said.
The village, which is about 50 kilometres from here, has some 1,500 trees that are used to produce tea, drinks and lotions.
Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, during the press conference, said the board will promote and market the “Tudan Mulberry” products via its subsidiary Sri Pelancongan Sabah Sdn Bhd.
Joniston also said the cultivation of mulberry could also turn the village into a tourist destination.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is optimistic that rural tourism will gain popularity and benefit locals in the long run.
Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the recent Rural Tourism roadshow held at a shopping mall was a success.
"The two-day inaugural roadshow attracted 10,000 visitors and the number of people visting the four promoted places-Tambunan, Kiulu, Ranau, Kadamaian-is also increasing.
"Most districts in the state have also activated their committees to develop rural tourism at their places," he said during a press conference on Universiti Malaysia Sabah's (UMS) Mulberry project with the people of Kampung Tudan.
Joniston added rural tourism products would not only benefit the industry but also help to generate income among villagers.
On the mulberry project at Kampung Tudan, which is about 50 kilometers from here, he said the villagers should consider setting up homestays.
"Now that the village has become UMS' pilot project on mulberry cultivation with its leaves processed into tea, lotion and other items, it can be developed in eco and agrotourism," he said, adding the village is also producing stingless bee honey.
Joniston, who is also Kiulu state assemblyman, added the road infrastructure to the village would soon be upgraded.
The mulberry products, branded as Tudan Mulberry, will be marketed and sold via the board's subsidiary company Sri Pelancongan Sabah Sdn Bhd.
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