Revisiting Pujut Corner, the squatter area in Miri with an overcrowded housing condition, deplorable hygiene standards and no electricity and proper water supply. (Miri city recorded the highest number of squatters in Sarawak, followed by Kuching and Bintulu, according to Btu Weekly, 2014)
I recalled the days spent with our 9 fellow volunteers in this place, waking up early in the morning to set up our "classes" for the children there during the Hari Raya holidays in July 2016. Living in such harsh environment could be an unbearable pain for some people, but thankfully the volunteers had never filed a single complaint. (perhaps it's because we had warned them so many times before haha)
It was this bunch of adorable yet mischievous kids who had made our volunteers outdone themselves, trying their best to teach and coach the kids in that very short period. These children were indeed the "Little Wonders" who had drawn smileys on our faces, who had brighten up this little place with their joy and laughter.
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Little Rebicca. She stopped going to school at the age of 9 because her family sees education as an economic burden; they just can't afford to pay for the school fees. When a family is not financially secured, prioritizing a child's education takes a backseat.
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| This amusing picture was taken during our education camp on July 2016. These were the villagers who had sacrificed their time and energy to prepare meals for our camp participants and volunteer teachers. The guy standing in the middle with a bundle of vegetables is my colleague, Apek. (photo credit to Yee Pei) |
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| Family portrait of the volunteer teachers with our host family. |
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| This photo was taken when we revisited Pujut Corner in January 2017. |
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| The boy who never stops singing. |
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Mathew, the boy with stunning sapphire blue eyes. He is the only one among his siblings who inherited the blue eyes from his father.
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Mathew and I 💙
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The Little Wonders in Pujut Corner from
Yokie Tokie on
Vimeo.
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