CAPTain Spotlight 8 of 9: For the Orang Asli

Article written by Mark Ngoh, Angelica Ang, Bryan Goh & Grace Cheong

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented upheaval to the world, and to Singapore, forcing the nation into a period of Circuit Breaker in efforts to curb the spread of the virus. Even as our economy and society reopen, it is evident that the pandemic has brought, and will continue to bring unique challenges to different communities in Singapore.

Although these times have been rife with uncertainty and unknowns for many of us, several CAPTains, both past and present, have gone above and beyond to play their part in making a difference — no matter how big or small — in our community. The Active Community Engagement (ACE) wing in CAPT has launched an initiative, CAPTain Spotlight, to share the stories of these CAPTains. Through this initiative, we curate and share the narratives of nine individuals/groups of CAPTains who have embodied the ACE spirit – actively engaging with the communities in their midst. This is the eighth of our ‘Spotlight’ stories.

CAPTain Spotlight 8: For the Orang Asli

The widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected the communities in our midst, but also those beyond our shores. Hailing from Malaysia, Nicole (CAPT Alumna) has always been familiar with the nation’s indigenous Orang Asli communities. However, it was not until a few years ago, during a teaching stint at an informal school for displaced Orang Asli children, that she learnt that they were an extremely resilient, yet increasingly vulnerable community. This was especially so in light of the increasing trend of globalisation and environmental destruction around the globe.

When COVID-19 struck, she saw that many of the Orang Asli communities had their hands tied due to a combination of various factors. The implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) resulted in settlements with plantations being unable to transport their harvests out, hence, resulting in zero income for the farming populations. Furthermore, the pre-existing effects of deforestation had exacerbated the situation as Orang Asli populations were no longer able to live off the land because forests had been devastated by excessive logging. In addition, many Orang Asli communities had limited access to daily necessities, as grocery stores had been out of reach to those from kampungs that are less accessible (e.g. those which required hours of travelling by boat to reach).

As such, inspired by the slew of online fundraisers she had seen popping up on her social media feeds, Nicole began thinking about how she could maximise her contributions and channel them effectively to vulnerable communities who did not yet have an online presence. Initially, she decided to contribute personally to the organisations, and follow their updates online. However, as the MCO got extended and NGOs needed more funds, she thought that it would be a good idea to get her friends on board to support the movement as well. Hence, leveraging on the strong local currency, she ran a Singapore-based fundraiser for Orang Asli NGOs in Malaysia who urgently needed funds to provide basic necessities to Orang Asli communities in remote locations throughout Malaysia. Every RM100 (~SGD30) that was raised helped to support a family with close to one week’s worth of necessities.

Nicole believes that as CAPTains, we are often encouraged to actively engage the communities that we seek to help. Hence, before she started the fundraiser, she first reached out to the Coalition of Orang Asli NGOs to ask for the most appropriate and effective way for her to support them all the way from Singapore. Through online discussions with the NGO representative, she was better able to learn more about the dynamic and immediate challenges these communities have been facing in light of COVID-19 and better shape the way in which she carried out her fundraising initiative.

Beyond the social cause, the experience also showed Nicole how various communities around the world are connected through our supply chain — the food we eat, the clothes we wear, as well as other things that we tend to take for granted. It took a pandemic (and empty supermarket shelves) for many, including Nicole herself, to learn to appreciate that so much of what we have is inextricably tied to the health and wellbeing of communities, local and beyond, whether they are visible to us or not.

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