A ‘Hope Place’ for Penan Children

Teacher supervising a Penan child at the Kindergarten.

MORE than 60 children, five teachers and two ‘capable managers’ are setting up a ‘Hope Place’ in Miri under the care of a small non-governmental organisation called Ten Ringgit Club (TRC).

Known as the Noah’s Ark Kindergarten, the place nestles at the back of Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club. And amidst trees, construction steel and concrete pillars stands a one-room kindergarten which gives hopes to Penan children below the age of six.

Some of the children were born in Ulu Baram while some in Miri, depending on when their parents arrived to work in the two areas.

The parents are mainly from Long Jekitan and other Penan areas. One mother said: “We are here to earn a better living and give our growing family hopes for a brighter future.”

While some are nuclear families, most are extended families, numbering over 20 from three generations of the immediate family. Each is squeezed into one unit of housing provided by company of their breadwinners.

When the TRC learned about the plight of the Penan families near the Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club, it decided to start an education centre to help them.

There was even a 10-year-old child who enrolled last year. He had never been to school before. Some of the youngsters do not have birth certificates.

The TRC started in April 2015 for the young families of Penan workers in the area with the help of the Eastwood Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee.

Room was made available for the teachers and management of TRC to start a learning centre. By the beginning of this year, three kindy sessions were being conducted five days a week with five pre-school teachers engaged by TRC.

Each of the teachers supervise four to five children per session. The teachers are mainly from Lawas and Bario. Two have already received their pre-school teaching diploma while the other three are preparing to further their education.

All are very dedicated, starting as early as seven in the morning and leaving only after five in the afternoon.

Health and hygiene

It is heart-warming to see a non-teaching female TRC volunteer taking the time to dress the wounds of the children.

According to one of the teachers, the management is very concerned about the health and hygiene of the children. So this dedicated volunteer comes in everyday to dress the wounds and clean the ears and eyes of the youngsters. Sometimes, the mothers who come to sit with their children also get free treatment.

The teaching staff appreciate the management’s assistance in this way. Many of the children have viral skin diseases which are hard to cure unless the surroundings are kept clean and hygienic.

“This is going to be a long-term challenge,” Supang, the TRC volunteer, noted.

“I’m doing this for the children. And I teach the mothers the importance of cleanliness and hygiene.”

It was really good to see Supang and the mothers working together to clean the ears, heads and necks of the children.

One young mother helped Supang by holding up her child. From her facial expression, it was apparent she is a young determined mother.

The aim of Noah’s Ark Kindergarten is essentially twofold — promoting education and developing social, mental, spiritual, physical, environmental and emotional wholesomeness among the Penan children.

A child did not turn up for class on the day thesundaypost visited and was promptly attended to at home by the TRC volunteer.

“We do all these because teaching cannot go on if the children are badly affected by skin problems,” Supang said.

“Furthermore, it’s our duty to ensure all the children are healthy – which is also an act of love and kindness.

“By showing the families how much we care for the children and the mothers, we are setting a very good example. Also, our teachers are role models. By looking at how they teach, the parents will realise the importance of education. A little help goes a long way.”

Supang provides all the medications. In her basket — like a Mary Poppins bag — are essential oils, cleansing lotions, spa water and many types of natural solutions which are good for the skins of the children — and as well as the adults. One bottle of special oil that Supang provides can cost more than RM85.

Learning hand-eye coordination.

Lessons for the children

According to teacher Valerie (not her real name), the children learn hand-eye coordination, art, writing and reading and hygienic practices.

“They are also trained to say grace before having their food during their break. When the children finish their work, like art, for the day, they automatically go to the reading corner. Sometimes, two sit together and enjoy a book. They are very disciplined, especially when reading at the book corner,” she said.

The children’s favourite time – after the normal lessons – is story telling.

Some of the mothers come by the kindergarten once in a while and sit down with their children to see how they are doing.

One particular mother comes everyday because her younger child is still not coping well. The older child also comes to help his younger sibling with the lessons. The two children are very attached to each other — which is Penan culture, according to one of the teachers.

The TRC Learning Centre was originally sited at Pujut 7 Bridge. But due to some unforeseen circumstances, it had to close down when it was already helping more than 20 Penan children of various ages to read and write and some basic maths.

When the predicament of the Penan families came to light, the TRC felt it was the right thing to set up a learning centre for them within the Eastwood Valley Country and Golf Club.

When approached, the Club unhesitantly extended a hand, providing two units of their barracks (workers’ quarters) for the learning centre.

Children with birth certificates can register for primary one when they are of age.

Addressing issues

Many issues need to be addressed though. For example there are several children who have never been to school and

are too old to enter primary one in a normal school. Some do not have birth certificates. The TRC has to handle all these problems.

However, according to Supang, the Kindergarten has been operating smoothly since April 2015 with funds donated by well-wishers. The salaries of the five teachers depend very much on funds raised by the TRC.

The TRC also helps the mothers to earn extra income through the sales of baskets they make.

Supang explained: “Some of the mothers sell their baskets to pay a minimum school fee at this Kindergarten.

“ Besides, they also have to pay for the school bus that send their older children to primary and secondary schools in Pujut at a minimum of RM20 per child. If they have two children, they pay RM30. They really have to work hard to make more baskets for sale.”

The TRC also helps to market the baskets around Miri in churches, food fairs and festivals.

The bulk of the money raised go to the makers or weavers, hence they are all very keen to produce more baskets — and quickly too.

The Kindy’s furniture were donated by Jeremy Sim of Sin Siang Hai whose premises was first used for the Pujut 7 learning centre.

The TRC has already raised enough funds for a van to send the older Penan children to school in Pujut. This will enable them to attend school even when it rains.

One of the children’s fathers acts as the bus driver. It is a long way to walk from the Pujut Primary School to the Penans’ quarters in Eastwood Valley. Within a few years, many of them will be going to secondary school which is even further away!

There is no bus service along the major roads in the area. Anyway, it is also not safe for these small Penan children to take commercial buses.

The Noah’s Ark Kindergarten is a godsend and much more can and will be done to help the Penan families because there are dedicated volunteers and teachers as well as good support from the Miri community.

Indeed, the Ten Ringgit Club is making a difference. The beneficiaries – the Penan parents and children — can see beyond their present situation with greater hopes in their hearts.

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