Community Projects in Borneo

Volunteers work alongside the local community building a much needed kindergarten or maybe a gravity water feed system that will supply a community with a reliable source of fresh and clean water for the first time. However, it's not all about the projects; in the community phase it's about learning as much from each other as possible: language, traditions, cooking and many other skills.

Here are some examples of volunteer projects you may be working on. Please be aware that these may change and are just a guide to the types of community projects we work on during a Raleigh Borneo expedition.

Kindergarten - Kampung Minusoh, Tongod District

Education is a basic need which most western societies take for granted. In Malaysia the Government provides educational facilities for children aged 6 and above with primary and secondary schools. Often young children have to travel for several hours to reach their nearest primary school.

The main difficulty however is that before a child can be entered into school they must have a minimal standard of reading and writing. In the remote Kampungs where many of the elder generations did not attend school this is often not possible. Raleigh has worked for a number of years with a semi-government organisation called KEMAS. They report to the Ministry of Rural Development and are responsible for Kindergarten education. Their aim is to provide the basic level of education needed so that when a child reaches 6 years old they are able to start school, and not find themselves years behind their peers.

Gravity Water Feed Systems

Many remote communities within Malaysia still do not have access to clean, drinkable water. Villages without a water source will collect their water in large tanks and barrels from rainfall. The rainfall in many areas is insufficient to meet their needs all year round so water is often taken from polluted rivers. This has obvious knock on effects of ill health through water borne diseases such as typhoid. Many communities use these rivers to wash in and there is additional contamination from chemicals used in agriculture, in particular from oil palm plantations.

Kampung Pinapak Gravity Water Feed System

Sources are generally several kilometres from the kampung and are hard to reach areas. They are usually springs or small streams which are free from pollution or human interference. Once a source has been identified, it is dammed using wire cages filled with rocks and/or cement.

Piping is then laid to several reservoir tanks which enable a head of pressure to be established as well as to cope with periods of high demand. From these tanks, piping is then laid into the kampung; this will usually involve digging the pipe into shallow trenches to avoid it being damaged. Finally connectors and taps are installed as the system is established within the community to provide the most efficient supply. During the whole process the local community assist with the work and are educated on how to maintain their system in order to provide a sustainable solution to their water requirements.

Volunteers working on these gravity feed projects will be building dams and installing the piping to the villages so they can finally get fresh water into the village. By building these gravity fed water systems or repairing an existing one, volunteers are providing a simple and often inexpensive solution to getting fresh water into a community.

What training will I get?

You will be invited to a pre-expedition training event where you'll be able to meet other venturers joining your expedition. You'll learn more about your projects, kit and medical requirements and do some group activity. When you arrive in country you’ll also have an induction. This includes safety briefings, risk assessment, casualty evacuation; training in the correct and safe use of tools, camping equipment, and safety equipment including radios.

What is the deadline for applying for an expedition?

We run expeditions throughout the year and encourage venturers to apply between six and 18 months in advance to ensure you get the place you want and give you time to raise the money. We do accept applications up to a month in advance, however you will have missed out on the UK training weekend, you may not get the place you want and you will have to organise your fundraising and vaccinations very quickly.