Borneo Fact Sheet

Overview

Sabah is one of 2 Malaysian states in the north of Borneo and is vibrant and multicultural. It shares a border with Malaysian Sarawak and Indonesian Borneo.

It is known as Sabah, negeri di bawah bayu, meaning 'Sabah, land below the wind', because of its location being just south of the typhoon prone region around the Philippines. It is also famous for being home to the highest mountain in S.E. Asia- the beautiful Mount Kinabalu.

It has a population of 3,400,000, divided into 32 officially recognized ethnic groups. The largest non-indigenous ethnic group is the Chinese. The largest indigenous ethnic group is Kadazan-Dusun, followed by Bajau, and Murut.

Sabah is considered an Islamic state, although ½ of the population are Christian Malay is the national language spoken across ethnicities however English, Chinese Mandarin as well as the Chinese dialects of Hakka and Cantonese are widely understood.

Sabah's economy was traditionally heavily lumber dependent, based on export of tropical timber, but with increasing depletion of the natural forests and ecological efforts to save remaining natural rainforest areas, palm oil has emerged as a more sustainable resource. (Although palm oil plantations are aiding in the destruction of the rainforest in almost an equally desperate way). Other agricultural products important in the Sabah economy include rubber and cacao. Tourism is currently the second largest contributor to the economy.

Sabah has the largest number of people below poverty line in Malaysia due to discriminatory lack of funds from the Malaysian government. This is an issue bitterly felt by Sabahans, of whom many are struggling to reach the educational and social goals they deserve.

Activities

The project will run for 4-5 weeks and the D.A.R.E team will have a variety of activities to undertake.
We will be working through one of the local churches called Skyline and an organisation called Habitat for Humanity. Our community based activities will consist of-
    working with street children to assist in basic English/ maths tuition at a centre
    helping the church with tuition of local children too poor to attend school
    having a brief attachment with homes for special needs children and hopefully also at a centre for autistic children.
We will also have some conservation activities, where the team will have the chance to visit one of the richest parts of the rainforest in Borneo and learn about the current issues of logging and what is being done to protect the area. The team may also have the chance to join in with a house build in the North of Borneo, through Habitat for Humanity. Finally the team will visit a deaf school and use their funds to update the shabby cabbins the kids are currently going to school in.

The additional trips that the team could have the opportunity to take after the project include-
    Scuba Diving in one of the most renound dive sites in the world (Sipidan)
    visiting the orangutan sanctuary
    visiting the Turtle Island and helping release baby turtles
    climb the highest peak in S.E.Asia- Mount Kinabalu
    visit any of the numerous deserted islands dotted all around the coast.

Accommodation

The team will be staying in a hostel in the city of Kota Kinabalu (the capital of Sabah). In relation to average living conditions in Sabah, its pretty good- with hot showers and sit on toilets! There are dorms big enough to fit the whole team and its very central so its easy to get food and just a 10 min boat ride from the gorgeous Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, consisting of 5 pristine islands with white sand beaches and fantastic reefs.

Food

Breakfast is included in the hostel, although is you prefer fresh fruit instead of toast, there are fruit stalls dotted all over the place. The team are advised to shop at the supermarket and make packed lunches. In the evenings it can be as cheap as you like to eat out, from £2 for a decent meal to £5 for something extravagant.

Dates

The project will run for 4-5 weeks and we advise the team fly out in the last week of June so that flights are still priced in low season.

Costs

Flights to Singapore/KL and then to KK- £800-£900 approx
Food for 5 weeks- £180 approx.
Accommodation for 5 weeks - £105 approx
Insurance- £50
Spending money- It is advised to have some spare cash for the numerous unmissable adventures to be had in Sabah- like climbing Mount Kinabalu (£50 approx), visiting the orangutan sanctuary( £30), Diving course (£100 approx) or just visiting the islands for a sunbathe sesh- £5.
Immunisations and Anti-malarials- advised but not essential (personal discretion) No visa required.

Volunteer Qualities

The ability to work well in a team is a necessity. Team members should be enthusiastic, take initiative and support each other, since it is tough being on the other side of the world from home. They should be willing to compromise and put forward ideas when needed.
An interest in child development or psychology would be handy for working with the community based projects. In addition if you are interested in arts, languages or culture, your skills would be well used. Any strong, fit people would also be great to help out with a bit of building work.
Team members must be willing to withstand temperatures of up to 40 degs average in a wet, humid heat. They must have an open mind to different cultures and be willing to respect the Islamic ruling and be aware that in most places they will be expected to wear loose kaftans and skirts/shorts below the knee (when on the islands swimwear is OK). Also, since we are working with the Church, they should also respect our hosts beliefs and of course it is not a problem if team members are of a different religion or have no religion. There will be the option to attend bible study classes if team members are interested but it is not compulsory.
Please email daredundee@googlemail.com with any questions