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Masidi pledges continued support for youth development

Largest Raleigh expedition

KOTA KINABALU: The Youth and Sports Ministry said it would continue to support the work of Raleigh International given the benefits participants acquire from Raleigh expeditions. Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said this is a speech read by Permanent Secretary to the Ministry. Suzannah Liaw, when officiating at the launching of the Raleigh International Spring Expedition 2007 at Likas Hostel, here, Tuesday night.

“We want to promote the development of our young people and those from overseas, to equip them with the skills and strength to take positive steps into the world and make a difference to their lives and their lives of the people they encounter.” he said.

He said that as the nation grows and prospers with every new generation it must be ensured that youths are given every opportunity to reach their full potential.

The Raleigh International Expedition, he said, has been offering quality projects in which young people live and work in the community they are assisting.

He said by overcoming physical and mental challenges, the youths can gain greater awareness to enable them to become more active members of the local and global communities. According to Masidi, the Ministry has been actively organising skills training courses for the youths such as cooking, sewing, food processing. tourist guide, vocal, handicraft, marketing of products, labeling and bar code, computer maintenance and foreign languages. Commending the participants of the Raleigh programme, he said while the arduous trekking through jungle terrain would test their endurance level, they are privileged to see sights their friends or colleagues back home would unlikely ever lay eyes on.

“Apart from the scenery and hospitality, the work you undertake in helping to preserve a precious and priceless environment as well as improving the people’s lives, is something you cannot purchase and will be felt uniquely by each and everyone of you.” he said.

He said the Government supported the Raleigh programme because it believes the youths can make a difference by joining the expedition.

The opening ceremony on Tuesday night saw 139 volunteer staff and participants completing their five-day intensive training at Traverse Adventure Centre in Kiulu.

The programme will run for 10 weeks starting March until May, during which the participants aged 17 to 25 from Malaysia and other countries, will work on a total of nine environmental, community and adventure-based project sites across Sabah.

To date, this is the largest expedition that Raleigh International has conducted in Malaysia.
Malaysia is sending 19 including 16 from Sabah to take part in the three-month programme and they will join international participants and staff from the UK, Ireland. Australia. Netherlands, Lithuania. Canada, Chile and Ghana.

Raleigh International is a UK-based charity that promotes the development of young people from all backgrounds through their participation in challenging projects and the sharing of cultures and experiences.

Rory Hall, Raleigh International Country Director for Malaysia, said in the process, it aims to assist local communities that have asked for assistance.

“Among the projects that were often carried out are construction work, water system installation, conservation and other development work,” he said.

He said that following the success of Raleigh’s previous in Sabah, they are confident that the 2007 expedition will be one of its best yet.

Among the projects in this edition of expedition, he said, were a gravity- feed water system (Kg Serudong Laut, Tawau), gravity- feed water system (Ranau), school library (Mantanani Island, Kota Belud), bridge and camp construction (Danum Valley), trail and infrastructure development (Imbak Canyon). and eco lodge (Batu Puteh).

They have also been asked to assist in the re-construction gravity-feed water system in Kota Marudu that was damaged during the recent flood there.