Sept 22 – Over 200 Orang Asli from 3 villages, i.e. Kampung Ulu Semul, Kampung Sagong and Kampung Tenlan attended the Health Programme jointly organized by The Bountiful Eye Foundation (TBEF), Klinik Kesihatan Betau, Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Lipis.
These 3 villages are also part of the Orang Asli Community Learning Center - Pusat Didikan Komuniti Orang Asli (PDK) network. PDK aims to address issues of access to education among Orang Asli children, especially those living in the interior where reach for formal education is low and basic infrastructure facilities are lacking.
The Health Programme on 22 September was held as a follow-up activity to the larger Community Feeding Programme (PCF) pioneered by Hulu Perak District Ministry of Health to address malnutrition among Orang Asli children. Staff members from Klinik Kesihatan Betau and PKD Lipis gave talks on importance of healthy diet, food safety and also prevention against Malaria and Covid-19. These were followed by cooking demonstration and also demonstration on how to treat lice problem using treatment shampoo.
The programme aims to increase awareness among Orang Asli - especially mothers with children aged between 6 months and 6 years old – about the importance of healthy diet and personal hygiene. This information, for which we have taken granted, are vital for the survival of the Orang Asli as these villages are located in the interior and have no electricity and public water system.
These activities are important because they helped to build positive relationships between PDK by engaging District Health Ministry and the Orang Asli communities through meaningful partnerships. We hope to improve confidence among Orang Asli communities towards public healthcare as they are facing numerous challenges in accessing public healthcare.
Ultimately, we aim to support Orang Asli to play an active role in approaching public healthcare to ensure the health and wellbeing of Orang Asli children.
We have received positive feedbacks from the District Health Department that they would like to have more work in these three villages in the future and will like to have TBEF on board to support such initiatives. We are definitely looking forward to it too. Stay tuned.