(From left) Longhouse chieftain Tuai Rumah Lorie, Razali, Vivilyn and Charles show thumbs-up in a photo-call.
KAPIT: The Land and Survey Department continues to hold corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes across Sarawak in connection with its 100th anniversary celebration this year.
Last weekend the department, through its Kapit office, conducted such a programme at Rumah Lorie in Nanga Ibau, Batang Rajang.
“This the first time that we hold this ‘touch-point’ programme here. The primary aim is to inform the public about our roles and functions,” said Land and Survey Department Kapit acting superintendent Vivilyn Wesley when met at the session, which involved over 50 department staff and the whole longhouse community.
Adding on, Vivilyn was very happy in seeing the encouraging response to the programme, adding that a mass clean-up party was among the activities.
Later in the evening, a series of talks were run in which speakers explained to the villagers the roles and functions of the department, as well as the procedures involved in applying the licence to extract gravel and sand from the river.
The next morning, all participants underwent a mass aerobics session, followed by a mini sports event.
Longhouse chieftain Tuai Rumah Lorie (front row, sixth right) symbolically accepts the donation from Vivilyn (front row, third right), witnessed by Razali, Charles (front row – fifth and fourth right, respectively) and other villagers.
On the touch-point programme at Rumah Lorie, Vivilyn took the opportunity to thank Pelita Sdn Bhd and Magna Focus Sdn Bhd for having worked closely with the department in organising and running all the activities.
Charles Nyindang and Razali Junaidi, who represented Magna Focus and Pelita Sdn Bhd, respectively, were among those involved in the programme.
It is learnt that Magna Focus contributed some cash donations and also a shipload of gravel and sand to Rumah Lorie, meant to help the villagers rebuild their home.
The 39-door longhouse was destroyed in a fire on April 21 this year, leaving almost 300 residents homeless.
It is suspected that short-circuit was the cause of the fire.
Photo shows the temporary wooden houses, built by the villagers after fire destroyed their longhouse in April this year.
However, all the 39 families did not relocate – instead, they cleared away the debris and then, built temporary wooden houses near the site of their old longhouse.
It is also learnt that the longhouse security and development committee (JKKK) is now detailing the plan to rebuild a new longhouse on the other side of the river, which is nearer to Jalan Kapit-Song.