KOTA MARUDU: Life has changed for the better for folks from three villages here over the past year with the provision of gravity-fed water supply and initiation of ginger farms by a corporate company.
Thanks to Petronas’ Planting Tomorrow programme, villagers of Kampung Katud, Kg Pulutan and Kampung Patiu are now seeing the first harvest of ginger.
Launched in February 2017, the programme aimed to uplift the socio-economic wellbeing of identified rural communities in two phases; providing an alternative water supply solution followed by implementation of sustainable livelihood activities.
Carried out in collaboration with Yayasan Sejahtera, it saw gravity water facilities installed in the three villages, benefitting 400 residents who are mostly farmers, while 80 participants were provided with assistance like upskilling agricultural implements and 200 kilogrammes of ginger seeds each to start their farms.
A Kg Katud resident Calvin Magundampai, 56, shared how it used to be a different experience of getting water in his daily life.
Before the Corporate Social Investment (CSI) by Petronas, he would start with a long walk to the river, a trip that included trekking up and down the hill for over an hour.
“We would wake up as early as 5am and make our way there, bringing with us containers to collect water,” he said.
Fast forward today, fellow villager Magincin Sadiam said the programme had relieved of water supply problems.
The 38-year-old who has a ginger farm located about 30 minutes’ walk from the village, has also been producing yields, which ‘gave him something to look forward to doing every day’.
“It’s selling well. For instance at one time, we brought some 500kg of ginger to Kota Marudu tamu (market) and it was all sold out by noon,” said Dalius Maloi, 39, another participant of the programme.
Apart from this district, ‘Planting Tomorrow’ initiative is also being implemented in Dandun, Pitas, involving seven villages, which was launched around the same time last year.
The oil and gas company is also collaborating with Yayasan Sabah to implement the programme in Kampung Imbak in Tongod, which saw water supply system upgrading and assisting the villagers to set up homestay operations.
Other changes have also been sweeping across the participating villages, with the most important being in terms of mindset, said Kota Marudu district officer Arnold Joibi.
“They are becoming more confident and motivated. Planting Tomorrow is an excellent programme – it addresses the basic need of the community which is water supply, and it also provides them with opportunities to uplift their standard of living through ginger farming,” said Arnold in a statement released by Petronas.
For villager Jaimi Kanturun, 39, it has provided him with a strong footing towards self-reliance.
“Even though this programme might not be here forever, I can continue to do this on my own using what I learned from Planting Tomorrow,” he said.
