The crisis of Covid-19, compounded by diminishing forest resources, has exposed many of the dire realities faced by the Orang Asli community. During the Movement Control Order (MCO), many Orang Asli ran out of food supply and had to rely on temporary food aids due to loss of income. This lack of access to adequate…
Each year, waterborne diseases afflict hundreds of millions of people, primarily those living without safe, accessible water. Despite making great strides in the past 20 years to end waterborne diseases, there is still much to be done. Over the years of working with the Orang Asli (OA) community, we found numerous OA villages in the…
THE Covid-19 pandemic and movement restrictions have brought a fortunate turn for some Orang Asli in Muadzam Shah, Pahang, who began growing their own food and are now enjoying the benefits of extra income and improved diets. Tapioca and rice had been the daily staple in the early days of the movement-control order…
Education is a basic right for all children and a critical key to poverty alleviation. Throughout the years of working with the Orang Asli community, we found many Orang Asli children with low literacy skills and high school dropout rates. Many more children have also never attended school at all. There are numerous reasons that…
WHILE Covid-19 shut down most of the economy, especially during the movement-control order, Orang Asli tribes in villages close to Maudzam Shah in Pahang managed to weather the impact by grabbing job opportunities in jungles and plantations. The Malaysian Insight visited four Orang Asli kampung in the Muadzam Shah district and found the villagers in…
On our first trip back to the Orang Asli villages in Pahang since the Movement Control Order, we stopped by Kampung Jenit to check in on the villagers. Sitting cross-legged on the small patio outside Pak Cik Jelita’s house, we learned of Sakura’s struggles with raising her 8 year old son. Occasionally boasting a smile…
Nordin is an outspoken villager and father of three from Kampung Cerampak in Pahang. With a deep passion for farming, Nordin has always desired to plant his own vegetables to provide for his family and fellow villagers. However, his attempts have not been successful due to one simple reason: water. After being diagnosed with Leprosy…
The Movement Control Order (MCO), albeit a necessary measure to curb the spread of COVID-19, is affecting the livelihoods of Malaysians across the socio-economic playing field. With rising unemployment and income disruption, some of our most marginalized orang asli communities (OA) are receiving the greatest blow. With many of them relying on ad-hoc work to…