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6th September, 2010
KOTA KINABALU: An initiative to build an all-girl hostel that can accommodate 200 boarders sited in Kampung Bantayan, Tamparuli, is to be undertaken jointly by the Help Foundation and the Rotary Club KK South. Donations in cash and kind are welcomed to make the project a reality.
Consisting of four blocks, it is estimated to cost RM1.3 million. So far, the Lau Gek Poh Foundation and Help Foundation has contributed RM50,000 each, and RM150,000 was raised at a recent charity dinner.
The hostel will occupy an acre of land donated by Tan Chong Yian, an executive director of ABX Corporation. On giving away his land for the cause, Tan said, “Many of us in the city might not be aware that there are school-children who have to walk for hours to school each morning and return the same way after classes.”
The construction will kick off as soon as approval is obtained from the Tuaran District Council, said Mahmud Tahir, the president of Rotary Club KK South. “The hostel will provide accommodation for the girls from the remote villages in and around Tamparuli, who otherwise may have to drop out of school,” he added.
Meanwhile, the assemblyman for Tamparuli, Datuk Jahid Jahim, who is also the assistant minister of youth and sports, praised the Help Foundation and Rotary Club KK South for ensuring children in the rural areas receive uninterrupted education.
“Many teenage girls, from the remote villages, have to stop schooling by their parents for safety reasons as they have to trek long distances on foot to school before sunrise,” said the assemblyman.
One case of rape was reported earlier this year in Keningau. The victim, a 15-year-old girl, was on her way to school when she was attacked.
The project chairman Arthur Soo described the Kampung Bantayan complex as a big challenge to Rotary Club KK South and Help Foundation as the size and cost were bigger than they ever attempted. The complex is designed by Ar Lee Yik Soon, who is an architect and member of Rotary Club KK South.
Prior to this, the KK South Chapter had built a hostel for girls at Kampung Binaong in Keningau, 14 km from Keningau town. Completed in 2001 at a cost of RM850,000, including furnishing, it provides boarding to 80 students.
Help Foundation, which stands for ‘Help Eradicate Lasting Poverty’, was the brainchild of Tan Sri Richard Malanjun, Chief Justice of Borneo. Its mainstay is to eradicate poverty through education among the indigenous groups in Sabah. The hostel in Tamparuli will be the third built by the Help Foundation. The other two are in Nabawan and Kota Marudu.
Donations towards the Tamparuli project can be made by cheque payable to Rotary Club KK South or at any of the ABX’s 66 offices throughout the country.
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