From 2-5 October, UNDP in collaboration with the Sarawak Rivers Board and the National Resources and Environment Board (NREB) organized an education and awareness programme focusing on river cleanliness for urban and rural communities who live by the rivers in Sarawak.

The programme, titled, “SIWT River Cleanliness and Community Exchange” is part of the year-long Sarawak Inland Waterway Transport (SIWT) System Study which seeks to support the government’s strategy as outlined in the 9th Malaysia Plan to develop the rivers of Sarawak as an integral part of the state’s transportation network.

The programme which began in the state capital of Kuching and concluded in Ulu Baram in Miri, featured interactive workshops and lectures on the importance of river cleanliness and the concept of the 3 Rs –Reduce, Reuse and Recycle- as well as an introduction to the concepts of creative writing and photojournalism.  More than 150 participants from SK St Thomas, SK Long Miri & SK Uma Bawang including community members attended the lectures.      

As part of the programme, twenty students from SK St. Thomas and twenty from SK Uma Bawang were selected to participate in the “Living by the Rivers competition, where they will spend a month documenting their experiences in journals through the creative use of the written word and images.

During the workshop, the students learned how to make their own recycled paper and to create fun and creative journal designs, decorated with natural materials such as pressed flowers and dried leaves.

They each received a box camera which they will use to take photos of life on the rivers of their home state.

At the end of the programme, the journals will be exchanged between the urban and rural schools, with the aim of encouraging learning and forging greater understanding between the two communities.

Dr. Richard Leete, UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam  and Dr. Chung Tsung-Ping, UNDP Assistant Resident Representative were present at the workshop in Miri where they interacted with the residents and students from the community.

Excerpts from the students’ journals will be included in the UNDP-SRB publication, “Stories from Sarawak’s Rivers” due to be released next year.