FOR some aid workers in Sabah, sending food items to the needy is not an easy task.
It means walking on foot for kilometres through forests and slopes in the state’s heavily forested and hilly terrains for hours.
This is especially true to several aid workers assigned to send supplies to the villages in the sub-urban districts of Penampang during the movement-control order (MCO.
It took a three hours walk for them to reach Kg Moyog, Kg Mongkusilad, Kg Koliasan, Kg Malapi, Kg Mompoit, Kg Kipandi, Kg Lombiding and Kg Tadong-adong.
These aid workers did so even with the heavy loads to their backs as vehicles could not reach the villages.
Even more challenging is that the villagers’ houses were built far apart from each other and recent rainfall over Sabah’s west coast districts the last two days have made the journey on foot more slippery and dangerous.
Under the MCO, many Penampang folks in far-flung villages are not able to travel to town or nearby sundry shops for supplies.
Many of them are also poor and without proper transportation even if they could do so during normal days.
It rests on members of the Village Community Management Councils to send food aid to the villagers. – April 3, 2020.
Aid workers who have to send food to villagers in Sabah do not have an easy task as they have to travel through thick forests to reach their homes. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.Eddi Sone Joikol leading his group across a suspension bridge across a river in Sabah to deliver food assistance to villagers. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.Aid workers discussing amongst themselves before continuing their trek up the hill in Moyog to deliver food to villagers there. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.
Some houses in rural Sabah are located high up on hills, making it difficult to reach by aid workers. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.
Aid workers distribute food such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, salt and wheat flour, contributions from the state government in rural Penampang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.Villagers tend to build their homes far from each other in the hilly countryside of rural Sabah. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.A woman and her son smile after receiving help from the Sabah government. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.Aid workers preparing food such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, salt and wheat flour to be distributed to the villagers. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.A traditional basket called ‘wakid’ is significant in Kadazan culture. It is traditionally used by villagers in Penampang to carry fruits, firewood, vegetables and paddy stalks. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.Many Penampang folks in far-flung villages are not able to travel to town or nearby sundry shops for supplies. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.Aid workers walking through the suspension bridge across the river to the next village in rural Sabah. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.Some villagers still use a ‘wakid’, a traditional Dusun basket made of bamboo, rattan bark and wood to carry fruits, firewood, vegetables and paddy stalks. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 3, 2020.
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