There are many Orang Asli who are still living in darkness and one of them being Kampung Ulu Tual B in Pahang which consists of over 350 villagers. As they are unable to afford the high cost of power supply, they have no choice but to live without the access to electricity.
In the effort to improve their living environment, OSK joins ‘Liter of Light’, a global movement by Incitement which aims to provide cost-effective and sustainable lighting to the homes of the underprivileged communities. Funded by OSK Foundation, 35 staff comprising of the property and construction arms installed 60 solar-powered lights within two days and illuminated Kampung Ulu Tual B.
Each solar light is only made out of a plastic bottle, a simple circuit, micro-solar panel, LED bulb and a battery, yet it is capable in providing equivalent brightness similar to a conventional light bulb, a longer life-span and higher energy efficiency. Apart from the installation, OSK staff along with Incitement also provided training on the mechanisms of the solar-powered lights to ensure that the villagers are able to repair and maintain the lights.
According to the World Energy Outlook 2017, Orang Asli sums up the highest number of population from 297,000 Malaysians who are living without the access to electricity. They rely on kerosene, indoor bonfires and candles to continue their daily chores at night which resulted in risking their health and safety due to the usage of these vulnerable items.
“A home without light is a non-conducive environment to live as you are prone to unsafe conditions due to the low visibility at night. Through the ‘Liter of Light’, we hope to provide the basic need of light for safety as well as creating an adequate environment to live in. We hope that our humble effort will be able to light up the lives of the 350 villagers here at Kampung Ulu Tual B and children will have more time to study and play at night,” said Ong Ghee Bin, Chief Executive Officer of OSK Property.
“We are delighted to be working with our property arm in making a humble, yet impactful effort to the lives of the Orang Asli villagers. It also serves as a great platform to promote sustainability through the cost-effective lightings initiated in ‘Liter of Light’ movement as well as living in a healthier and safer environment as it replaces smoky hazardous bon fires and kerosene-lamps for lighting after dark,” said John Ng, acting Chief Executive Officer of OSK Construction.
By lighting up the homes and the surrounding, villagers are able to continue their daily chores at night. Moreover, they are now able to carry out activities at night among their family members and other villagers. One may think that providing lights is a small effort, but we hope that is may assist them for a better living environment, quality of life and hopefully, a better future.
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