A Library for Kampung Tering

Murni Bte Liga of Kampung Tering, an idyllic village in the outskirts of Kuala Pilah, has a burning desire. She is passionate about improving access to quality education for her community. She has often raised her concerns about quality education for Orang Asli children in meetings with authorities or civil society organizations. One of the issues that she finds problematic is the high attrition among Orang Asli children at primary and secondary school levels. In order to address the issue at her village, she decided to set up a functioning library which could be used by the children.

Women from the village organizing the reading material for the library

She noted the interest of mothers' in the village who want their children to improve their English language skills. She expressed her interest in running workshops on a monthly basis for her community. The workshops would focus on improving the language skills of the children who participate. 

Essay writing activities

She worked closely with me to organize a half day workshop with 20 children from 3 villages. The interest to learn English is high among concerned parents, though mothers were the ones who really made sure their children attended.

Used books for the library collection 

 Murni's idea of starting a library which children could access started with preparing a cupboard in teh community hall. I managed to collect about 50 odd children's books from various sources. One  was The Salvation Army Store in Banting which has an excellent collection of used but good condition books. The books are for children of varying proficiency levels.

Flipping through an interesting book

 Murni organized the entire workshop through What's App. She determined the date, the number of children, booked the venue (an amazing community hall) and ordered nutritious locally prepared for the children who attended the workshop. Her experience in organizing events at the village level grew over a short period of time. Her sister runs a restaurant which caters for breakfast and lunch. She also has an intrepid sister-in-law who makes cakes and savouries for order. She tapped on these contacts for catering purposes for her events.

surrounding area of the community hall

This is only the beginning of the journey for Murni who aspires to improve the education level of her community. She has continuously demanded for access for an quality preschool education which includes a deep appreciation for the culture, traditions and language of the Orang Asli. Thankfully, her valiant effort is supported by eager mothers who want it to benefit their children at her village.