Many of Sabah’s indigenous communities, living in rural areas, still do not have access to clean, drinkable water. They therefore suffer frequent outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Rural kampungs are visited about once a month by a flying doctor service, but this is not enough to meet the health needs of these communities.

Villages without a water source will collect their water in large tanks and barrels from rainfall. The rainfall in many areas is insufficient to meet their needs all year round, so water is often taken from polluted rivers. Many communities use these rivers to wash in and there is additional contamination from agriculture, particularly from oil palm plantations. Provision of a gravity fed water system is a simple and often inexpensive solution to getting fresh water into a community.

With this project, we are aiming to construct a gravity fed water system in Sabah to help overcome this problem. We will survey the area to ascertain the appropriate clean source of water, and the best locations for piping and taps. We will then dam the source to create reservoir tanks, enabling heads of pressure to be built up, as well as for the system to cope with periods of high demand. Finally we will lay the piping directly into the kampung. Members of the local community will be assisting throughout the whole project, to ensure their understanding of how to operate and maintain their system, in order that it will provide a sustainable solution to their needs for the future.

In order to ensure that their projects deliver real value to their end users, and are worthwhile, appropriate and sustainable, Raleigh International work very closely with local project partners such as government departments and local and international NGOs. This helps Raleigh to understand the developmental needs of the country, so that each project compliments the national development strategy. It also helps to ensure that each project meets a real development or environmental need in that country, is appropriate for the location and valued by the local community, and is a project that the local community will continue to benefit from long after our expedition has ended.

In Sabah Raleigh’s Partners are:

§         The Ministry of Rural Development

§         The Ministry of Community Development

§         WorldWide Fund for Nature

§         Sabah Parks

§         Yayasan Sabah

On this project, we will also be working with the PACOS TRUST. PACOS is a community based voluntary organisation which has been set up to help raise the quality of life for indigenous communities in Malaysia. The indigenous communities of Sabah comprise 39 different ethnic groups, speaking more than 50 languages in 80 dialects, and they make up approximately 60% pf the population. PACOS aims to enhance the capacity of these communities to manage their resources in a sustainable way using their own traditional resource management systems and skills. The construction of gravity fed water systems contributes towards the conservation of watersheds as well as improving the standard of living for local people.

We are also seeking with this project to increase international collaboration and understanding between the Junior lawyers Division of England and Wales and the Malaysian Bar Council, and Sabah Law Association. During this project, we will be working with these organisations to promote a wider understanding of global law and practice, and to develop a global network of junior lawyers. Based on the success of this project, it is the aim of the JLD for future similar projects to take place in India and Costa Rica in furtherance of this objective.

DONATIONS

Raleigh International is a registered charity that works with young people from all backgrounds and nationalities including those disadvantaged or "at risk" to enable them to make a positive contribution and achieve personal and social development  We achieve this by engaging young people in worthwhile community, environment and adventure projects which meet the needs of people living in developing countries.

All fundraising will go towards:

·        Permanent presence in all our host countries, allowing us to undertake:

o       Identification and planning of truly worthwhile projects.

o       Follow-up visits to projects completed by previous Raleigh volunteers to verify sustainability.

o       Constant monitoring and appraisal of first class rescue and evacuation systems.

·        Contributing towards the costs of the projects – materials, specialist equipment, and insurance.

·        Our work with disadvantaged young people in the UK.

·        Our programme for volunteers from the host country.

·        Specialist kit and equipment.

·        Costs of recruiting specialist volunteer staff, including medics, mountain leaders & builders

Want your donation to be worth more?  Gift Aid It!

When an individual donates money to a charity, the Gift Aid scheme enables the charity to claim back the basic rate of tax already paid on the donation.  Most donations will be eligible for Gift Aid provided

• The donor is an individual (donations from charities, trusts and companies are not eligible)
• The donor pays at least as much Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in the UK as the value of the Gift Aid claim
• The donor is NOT connected to the participant. A person is connected if they are a spouse, an immediate relative (parent, grandparent, child, sibling) or the spouse of an immediate relative
• The donor provides his/her name and address, and confirms they are a UK taxpayer

Currently, the rebate we can claim is 28%, so if you make a donation of £1, Raleigh can convert that into £1.28.  This scheme is to benefit charities and the Inland Revenue pay the rebate directly to Raleigh.