Charity Without Borders heads to Belaga with 4×4 clubs

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Volunteers for the survey trip outside the longhouse.

KUCHING: Charity Without Borders joined forces with Kelab Cabaran Pacuan 4 Roda Bintulu and Kelab Pemilik 4×4 Sibu to conduct a survey trip to Batu Keling, Belaga recently.

The annual programme’s founder Kelvin Wan, who is also Hope Place founder, said that 22 volunteers and nine four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles from Kuching, Sibu and Bintulu went to the longhouse, which is located over nine hours off-road from Sibu.

Wan (left) speaks to a longhouse spokesman.

According to a longhouse spokesman, the longhouse, which does not have water or electricity supply, currently has 15 bilik, with more to come once funding is available.

The spokesman also said babies and children drink condensed milk as their parents do not have the money to buy milk powder.

Many of the children are sick and the nearest clinic is five hours away.

Longhouse folk also lack transportation and most families are too poor to send their children to school.

It is understood the longhouse sitting areas are devoid of furniture, while mattresses are old, dirty, and falling apart.

A mother of three young children shows the condensed milk she gives her children.

As it is the dry season, the water level at the river is very low and there are no fish.

Charity Without Borders began six years ago.

For more information, call 013-5672775 or 082-505987 on weekdays from 8.30am to noon and 2pm to 5pm, or on Saturdays from 9am to noon.


Photo shows some of the 4WD vehicles during the nine-hour trip.