Ewon (second right) receiving a proposal on the water supply project from Sam. Also seen are Hopes Malaysia co-founders June Wong (right) and Poh Khay Inn (left).
KOTA KINABALU: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are encouraged to carry out community projects to benefit the people, especially those in rural areas.
Rural Development Minister Ewon Benedick said the government encourages such initiatives and is eager to support them for the betterment of those who have less access to basic amenities.
He said this during a courtesy call by Hopes Malaysia Welfare Association (Hopes), a local NGO that aims to run a Gravity Water Project in five villages within the Kadamaian area.
Ewon, who is also the Kadamaian assemblyman, welcomed the move and expressed his support for the project, which is planned to begin in July 2019 and end in September 2019.
“I fully support the initiative by Hopes to conduct the gravity water project (clean water supply) for communities in five villages, namely Kampung Bokilong, Kampung Podos, Kampung Terintidon, Kampung Kaung Ulu and Kampung Lasau Podi.
“Within Kadamaian itself, there are 74 villages that need our (the government’s) attention. With the support and cooperation of NGOs like Hopes, we can complement each other and help more people obtain these basic necessities. I hope this will bring them some relief,” he said.
Ewon also called upon more NGOs and corporate companies in the State to show the same commitment and to cooperate with the government to aid rural communities and improve their standard of living.
Meanwhile, Hopes Malaysia founder and executive director Sam Lee said the community project to be conducted in Kadamaian will be the NGO’s third local project.
“We started these community projects in 2016 in Kampung Tudan with a Mushroom Planting Project and the building of a clean water supply system to help increase revenue for locals there, in addition to solving their water supply problem which was the effect of the 2016 earthquake,” he said.
Sam added that Hopes Malaysia had also initiated a gravity water project in Kampung Takulung, Kota Belud at the beginning of this year.
He went on to say that Hopes Malaysia does not just initiate and complete projects in selected villages, but continually supervises and conducts maintenance work so as to fully benefit communities in the long term.