Dr Ting heads the Department of Biomedical Sciences at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) and Dr Mbaki is a lecturer in Medical Physiology, School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham, UK, they were former colleagues at UNMC who are joining forces for this noble cause.
“The Penans used to be a nomadic hunter-gatherer indigenous community living in remote forests of Borneo and today many of them live in small communities located near their native ancestor land. Their lifestyle and livelihood is greatly affected by the loss of forests. I strongly believe empowering their young generations with education will be the most practical way to lift them out from poverty and to support their transition to live in a ‘modern’ society,” explained Dr Ting.
“Due to various circumstances, the young Penans have to leave their homes when they are 6 to live and study in boarding schools and without any knowledge of Bahasa Malaysia or English it is not surprising that many of these children are not able to cope and as a result many drop out of primary education. These young Penans who enter the national educational system also face social, cultural, economic and other multiple issues. One way to reduce such drop outs will be to prepare these children with a preschool education “said Dr Ting.
The Climb for Life 2 aims to raise at least RM 35,000 to provide preschool education to 30 children at Long Itam and Long Kawi villages by appealing for donation from alumni and staff of the University, friends and corporate sponsors that are keen to support this cause.
Dr Ting Kang Nee, an alumnus of the university also initiated the Climb for Life in 2013 which raised more than RM 19,000 for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia and Penang Hospice where she hiked for 11 days and reached the foot of Mount Everest (5,364m) and was subsequently awarded with the Laureate Award for Special Excellence by the University of Nottingham owing to her tireless contribution as a volunteer, initiator and leadership of cancer awareness campaign at UNMC.
Dr Mbaki who will be joining Dr Ting for Climb for Life II is looking forward to her maiden charity climb which is hugely inspired by the success of Climb for Life and its contribution towards palliative care.
“When Dr Ting undertook the first Climb for Life project, I was still working at UNMC, and following her journey through that process was truly inspirational. The plight of the Penan community is heart wrenching and knowing that education is the driving seat to one’s future certainly puts into context how fortunate we are. The considerable difference pre-school education would make to these children’s futures makes this life changing project for the Penan children even more meaningful.” Dr Mbaki added.
Water for Life Project
UNMC began working with the Penan community last year with the UNMC’s Water 4 Life Project. The project was responsible for providing supply of clean water, sanitation, complete a preschool building and furnishing it with books and stationary for the Penan community in Long Itam.
The village, located in the interior of Sarawak, was in dire need of clean water, basic medical supplies and better education facilities, among others. Dr Ting brought a team of UNMC staff and students to Long Itam Village to build water pipes that supply clean water to the village in August 2014.
UNMC's 15th Anniversary
One of the world's truly global universities, with campuses in Malaysia, the UK and China, 2015 marks the 15th year since setting up as UK's first full-fledged international campus in Malaysia and all three campuses continue to enrich the lives of students across the world through global education, ground-breaking research and community engagement.
