Junior Chamber International Tanjung Aru is one of the most active non-profit youth organisations based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah with 38 years of history. Active citizens are individuals invested in the future of our world. Our mission is to provide development opportunities for young people between 18 to 40 years old to create positive change. They develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to make informed decisions and take action.
This year, JCI Tanjung Aru is led by President Jennee Chang, who serves as the 5th female president of JCI Tanjung Aru. “Dare to Be Different” is her 2018 Presidential Theme. The way to change the world and to create positive changes in this society is to dare to be different. When you dare to be different, you step out of the mould, as we make space for our creative twists.
In JCI Tanjung Aru’s 37th year of existence, the primary thrust this year is to further develop a better and younger leaders to create positive changes to the community and to take us beyond the edges of conformity to pave brave new frontiers. For more information, Please Like and Follow our Facebook Page: JCI Tanjung Aru.
Project Title:
Water for Life
Kampung Tudan is a remote village located in the interior hill of Kota Belud, Sabah. Road access to the village is in poor condition and the majority of its 260 populations live below extreme poverty line. The notorious 2015 Sabah earthquake damaged the village’s water catchment and for 2 years, the villagers were left without clean water and sanitation. Junior Chamber International (JCI) Tanjung Aru, founded 37 years ago, is a leading youth NGO in Sabah, Malaysia. For solving Kampung Tudan’s water crisis, we collaborate with Hopes Malaysia and Hunger Movement. The objective is to design, fund, and construct a new sustainable water supply system.
The system is made of a new water catchment, 2 km pipe, and 3 new water storage tanks. Clean water from the hilltop water catchment is transferred via the pipe to the water storage tanks at the village. No pump is required as the system is driven by gravity thereby eliminating operation costs giving free water to the villagers.
The project is executed in 4 phases (200 volunteers participated in the project.):
- Planning
- Raising Fund and Awareness
- Preparation for and Executing Construction
- Post Construction Monitoring.
The project successfully achieved UNSDG No. 6 Clean Water and Sanitation in providing clean and sustainable water to 260 villagers of Kampung Tudan. Post-construction monitoring reveals the new water supply system is working well with no downtime.
Extensive public awareness has been raised on UNSDG and the lack of clean water and sanitation faced by rural communities in Sabah. The project was featured in 2 short films and 5 national and local newspapers.
The project connects 3 esteemed youth NGOs, 800 individual donors, 8 corporate sponsors, 5 media agencies, and 200 volunteers paving way for future collaboration on new community projects. The empowered youth NGOs and volunteers have to date initiated 2 new projects. The project success and sustainable impact has been recognised through the award recipient of Best Local Community Empowerment Program at 2017 JCI Malaysia Annual National Convention.
What impact has this project created in the community/nation?
The project success inspires volunteers to carry out more rural community projects. They apply the model from this project for solving water crisis faced by other villages.The project promotes UNSDG and have raised awareness among the public on the struggles faced by our rural communities especially in Sabah state.The project also highlights the capabilities of youth NGOs and volunteers in solving tough rural community problems.
How has this project help to advance the chosen SDG?
The project successfully secured clean water access for all 260 villagers of Kampung Tudan. It restores their living quality and health. Both projects have raised great awareness among the public on the water scarcity faced by rural communities and the importance of clean water and sanitation.
The tagline for United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) is “Leaving No One Behind.” explain how your project helps to realize the commitment of UNSDGs for the future.
As Malaysia is striving itself to achieve developed nation status within the next decade, the development gap between the urban and the rural has not been effectively reduced. The rural communities, unfortunately, have not enjoyed the same development provided to their urban counterpart. In view of this, JCI Tanjung Aru, Hopes Malaysia, and Hunger Movement collaborate to carry out projects to ensure the rural folks are not left behind. Thus, we can realize the commitment of expanding the achievement of UNSDG No. 6 Clean Water and Sanitation throughout Sabah and Malaysia. More projects are to be carried out in the near future which will involve more organizations and volunteers. At the same time, awareness of clean water and sanitation will be greatly enhanced.
