One notable happenings in August that I should give it a mention is a charity drive for the Penan Women Project .
The women of the Penan tribe are excellent weavers and are able to weave intricate patterns from memory despite the lack of formal education. This project is being initiated to help sustain their livelihood and ensures the continuity of their heritage in weaving.
"When you buy a bag , know that your money goes towards helping a Penan woman, putting food on her table and giving her children a brighter future."
Who are the Penan ?
The Penans are believed to be the last nomadic hunter-gatherers in Malaysia, calling the rainforest their home and one of the indigenous tribes of Borneo.
Due to the widespread of deforestation, these hunter-gatherer tribes, who had lived in harmony with the rainforest for thousands of years, found themselves without a livelihood on the island of Borneo and are left with no other choice but to flee their ancestral homes.
The Penan are truly isolated tribe living in the middle of the jungle devoid of basic necessities like clean water supply, electricity, health and sanitation services and education besides roads and vehicles. Deforestation not only deprived them of their home, it also deprived many species of their natural habitat and it also causes silt to build up on riverbeds, killing off fish and thus leaving the Penan people without a crucial source of food.
The Penan have been fighting back against the exploitation of their ancestral homelands since the early 1980s. But they've hardly stood a chance in the face of big business.As a result, many families have been forced to leave the forests and relocate to big cities such as Miri, living in poverty on the margins of society. It's a catastrophic consequences for the region's ecosystem with giant palm oil plantations sprouted up in the place of ancient rainforests, providing the raw material for products such as biodiesel and cosmetics.
I can't seem to recall when was the last time this Charity was held in Kuala Lumpur and definitely not going to give this a missed when it was held on August 19 for ONE DAY, no a few hours actually. It wasn't an easy task for the organizer to locate a venue large enough to host the Charity drive, and when it came, all bags and baskets were SOLD OUT way a head of it's closing time. Isn't that wonderful ?
It's a project for a caused and not forgetting that all the bags are beautiful. All proceeds from these charity were given back to the Penans to improve their quality of life, including revolving fund for the weaving project.
The women of the Penan tribe are excellent weavers and are able to weave intricate patterns from memory despite the lack of formal education. This project is being initiated to help sustain their livelihood and ensures the continuity of their heritage in weaving.
"When you buy a bag , know that your money goes towards helping a Penan woman, putting food on her table and giving her children a brighter future."
Who are the Penan ?
The Penans are believed to be the last nomadic hunter-gatherers in Malaysia, calling the rainforest their home and one of the indigenous tribes of Borneo.
The Penan are truly isolated tribe living in the middle of the jungle devoid of basic necessities like clean water supply, electricity, health and sanitation services and education besides roads and vehicles. Deforestation not only deprived them of their home, it also deprived many species of their natural habitat and it also causes silt to build up on riverbeds, killing off fish and thus leaving the Penan people without a crucial source of food.
The Penan have been fighting back against the exploitation of their ancestral homelands since the early 1980s. But they've hardly stood a chance in the face of big business.As a result, many families have been forced to leave the forests and relocate to big cities such as Miri, living in poverty on the margins of society. It's a catastrophic consequences for the region's ecosystem with giant palm oil plantations sprouted up in the place of ancient rainforests, providing the raw material for products such as biodiesel and cosmetics.
The Penan Women Project and it's charity drive is a project initiated by the Miri Women Weaving Association (MWWA)
Aren't these weaved bags gorgeous ?
I took lots of photos, but none as lovely as the one I found via google search
All image : credits to Penan Women Project /FB & Google Image search
The last photo Quote directs you to the Penan's plight to save their home
https://www.facebook.com/PenanWomenProject
All image : credits to Penan Women Project /FB & Google Image search
The last photo Quote directs you to the Penan's plight to save their home
https://www.facebook.com/PenanWomenProject
