In Kota Belud, Sabah, rural communities are facing increasing pressures due to limited access to basic needs such as food and clean water. To address this issue, HEINEKEN Cares, through Hopes Malaysia has been working tirelessly to provide sustainable solutions to meet the basic needs of these underprivileged rural communities.
Hopes Malaysia, with the support of HEINEKEN Cares have carried out various projects, including sustainable farming and rural infrastructure repair, in order to empower these communities to break the cycle of poverty and create long-term sustainable living. Through their sustainable development partnerships, the organizations have been able to provide fresh food aid, upgrade water systems, and promote sustainable farming to improve the livelihoods and income of families in need.
Newswav caught up with Sam Lee, Founder and Executive Director of the Sabah-based NGO Hopes Malaysia to learn more about how their partnership with HEINEKEN Cares has impacted the lives of many villagers.
Q: Tell us a bit about Hopes Malaysia.
A: In 2016, Hopes Malaysia was founded by myself and my close friend, Khay Inn. I’d just quit my desk job and wanted to make a sustainable difference in rural Sabah.
Our very first project was a gravity water system in Kampung Tudan of Kota Belud, Sabah, where families were unable to access clean water. We're proud to say that our year-long fundraising and planning efforts have paid off, as we've been able to provide sustainable farming, rural infrastructure repairment, and a range of socio-economic and women's empowerment programs to more than 10,000 people across 20 villages.
Our aim is to empower rural communities to break the cycle of poverty by providing them with basic needs for sustainable living. The formula for our projects is "Sustainability + Impact + Practicality + Feasibility" in creating long-term change and supporting families to thrive, not just survive.
Q: Please tell us more about your collaboration with HEINEKEN Cares in the past and present.
A: In the past, Hopes Malaysia partnered with HEINEKEN Malaysia's Spark Foundation through HEINEKEN Cares 2021 to support families and care centers in Sabah during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 240 families and care centers received fresh food aid from our Kota Belud project farmers. The partnership has helped to supplement the income of our project farmers, boosting their monthly earnings by up to 50% during this challenging period.
Post pandemic, it has become clear that relying solely on food aid is not a sustainable solution for families facing food insecurity. At Hopes Malaysia, we have long believed in empowering families with the skills and knowledge to farm for themselves, bringing more long-term benefits. With this in mind, we have empowered over 400 rural Kota Belud families through sustainable small-scale farming projects such as crop cultivation and fish farming. The families can also sell any excess produce to supplement their income, further improving their economic well-being.
This year, we’re running the ‘Sustainable Gravity Water Project for Food Security Collaboration’ project in order to help the remote and poverty-stricken Kampung Pinolobuh of Kota Belud by upgrading their gravity-fed water system for clean water supply and promoting sustainable farming to improve their long-term food security. The community worked together to build piping from the 5km uphill natural water source to their village tank, which was completed in December 2022. Now, with an efficient water supply to farms coupled with the skills, knowledge, and tools for sustainable farming through our workshops and community training, families have successfully grown leafy crops for self-consumption, with extra harvests sold in the local Kota Belud community and through our Gerai Tamu Kita vegetable stall.
Together with HEINEKEN Cares, we were able to make a significant impact on the lives of those in need.
Q: HEINEKEN Cares has announced its employee volunteerism programme this year. Do share with us how they will impact the lives of others.
A: Through HEINEKEN Cares' volunteer program, we will help Kampung Pinolobuh farmers tend to their crops and harvest their vegetables. This will relieve some of their daily work burdens while raising awareness for our cause and the rural Sabah community. We encourage volunteers to share their experiences online to expand our sustainable work. Our goal is to empower more families in rural Kota Belud and achieve food security, which is essential for the long-term improvement of livelihoods and income.
A testimonial: Making dreams come true
One of the villagers that benefited from this project is Puan Lusiah, who said that her family was struggling every day until Hopes Malaysia and HEINEKEN Cares stepped in.
From not having water to hydrate her crops to now being able to feed her kids properly, Puan Lusiah thanked the team and said: “I am very happy that we can live a better life now with enough water and I can feed my children properly with more vegetables. I also have more experience in farming and can support my family with my vegetable harvests. My dream of a healthy green farm is now a reality.”
Future plans: Breaking the cycle of poverty
In the near future, Hopes Malaysia plans to further collaborate with HEINEKEN Malaysia to address the worsening rural poverty in Sabah, especially among the Kota Belud villagers, by providing basic needs and empowerment initiatives. With a focus on their sustainable farming projects, Hopes Malaysia aims to expand access to nutritious vegetables and fish for self-consumption, creating a reliable source of food for the local communities. Through these efforts, Hopes Malaysia and HEINEKEN Malaysia hope to continue making a positive impact on the lives of Sabah's rural families.
Q: What is your message for those who want to help?
A: We can break the cycle of poverty to create lasting change. Every effort counts. If you’re interested in supporting a small Sabah NGO, please send a donation of any amount to www.hopesmalaysia.com/donatenow, and if you’d like to collaborate with us on our impactful CSR projects, please visit us at www.hopesmalaysia.com/csrsponsorship. You can also share about us on social media to bring more awareness to what we do.
If you would like to know more about our ongoing work, please contact +60162417838 or email us at hopesmalaysia@gmail.com. We also welcome collaborations with like-minded organizations to further expand our impact on the rural community.
About Hopes Malaysia
Established in 2016, Hopes Malaysia is a Sabah-based non-governmental organisation that focuses on sustainable community development projects in order to meet the basic needs of the underprivileged rural community.
Since then, Hopes Malaysia has been actively empowering 74-poverty stricken settlements within remote and rural villages in Kadamaian, Kota Belud, Sabah. Hopes Malaysia has since helped over 10,000 villagers in rural communities via sustainable, long-term projects. The organization has also rebuilt 3 community hanging bridges, benefitting over 2,500 schoolchildren and villagers, giving them access to education and basic necessities.