Lohot, Sabah | 18-24 October 2025
The story of lohot’s gravity water system and the hands that rebuilt it
42 years ago, in 1983, Kampung Lohot built its first gravity-fed water system. It was a simple system and a hand-built line of pipes guided by the river’s pull. Yet it served the Murut community of Lohot for decades, carrying water from the hills to the village below.
But as the time went by, the capacity slowly outpaced what the old system could give. As the population increased, now with 55 families, the original pipes could no longer support the village’s needs. Many sections had begun to leak and break, the result of aging materials, and decades of constant use.
And that brings the mission for GPV #12. In just 1 week of opening the application, many responses came through and this time we build another strong team of 7 volunteers all the way from Malaysia and Brunei!
Yet what truly defined this project was the way the village itself moved as one. Each day began before sunrise. By 5 in the morning, the mothers were already in the kitchen, preparing meals to fuel the work ahead. Soon after, the men, youths and volunteers gathered their tools and made their way up to the site. Some worked at the dam, others rolled pipes, sourced gravel, or carried materials uphill.
It was shaped by mutual responsibility, and a deep understanding that clean water is something the community protects together.
We invite you to follow our 7 day journey through the videos below, a record of rebuilding a water system within the context of Lohot’s culture and the joy of working together for a shared purpose.
