My Volunteering Journey

Me and my assigned lady - Tepuq Ribed

A lot of people threw me a question when I was back from Bario: “How does Project WHEE! work? I thought you guys were teaching English over there, but why does it seem like you are all working in the paddy field?”

I like the question. Before I decided to join Project WHEE!, I myself took some time to figure out how this program worked. The main objective of Project WHEE! is to empower Bario’s mountainous community to generate an income through eco-tourism. As such, we as participants are there to teach the women English, so that they are able to communicate with tourists more effectively as community guides or home-stay hosts in the future. Besides, we are there to facilitate the women's development of eco-tourism activities for the local community, guiding them to execute these activities and helping them in preparation of other sustainable projects.

Everything sounds cool. Still, we are there to teach the ladies English, so why do we work in the paddy field? 

The main reason is because Project WHEE! emphasises on teaching English by shadowing the women. These women are not ordinary primary or secondary schools’ students. They have their own schedule every day. It is hard for them to sit down for 6 – 7 hours in a classroom to learn English. For this reason, our classroom could be anywhere. In the morning, we would kick start our class in the lady’s house over coffee and cookies. After that, we would have our lesson knee-deep in mud, in the middle of the lady’s paddy field in the afternoon. It is quite exciting and exhilarating when you think about it―everywhere could be a live classroom for them.

I guess now most of you have a basic idea of how this program works and why most of us are helping the ladies in the paddy field or in the farm. The idea of teaching the women English by shadowing them sounds great. Nonetheless, everything has pros and cons. There is a grey area of this project. A lot of people who don’t have a basic idea of how this project works tend to be biased. They perceive us, the participants, as the budak bandar (city kids) who travel there solely to experience the lifestyle of the Kelabit’s people. I can't say they are wrong. We are there to teach the women English, but the truth is we are there to explore the way of life of the Kelabits too. This is when the participants play an important role. As participants, we have to prove to the locals that we are not only there to experience the lifestyle, but we are there to teach as well. Besides teaching English, we have to become the ambassadors of Project WHEE!, telling the local folks and the tourists why we are there.

Anyway, being a participant requires a lot of discipline and persistence, especially when we teach the women English by shadowing them. We have to keep reminding ourselves pf the reason we are there. I faced a lot of challenges when I was teaching English. The lady I was paired with is Tepuq Ribed. I was lucky, as both of us clicked instantly when we met. There weren’t a lot of awkward silences between us. She is very passionate in learning. However, as she is illiterate, it took time for me to build her confidence to open up and converse with others in English, especially with the foreigners.

Other than that, she often couldn’t remember the things that she had learnt. A lot of times when I asked her, “What is this, tepuq?”, she would tell me that she has forgotten the name of the item. I had to keep practising with her. It requires a lot of patience, and it was not as easy as I thought. There were plenty of times when I felt that my efforts put in seemed pointless. She just couldn’t get it.

Whenever I felt like giving up, I always reminded myself, do the best and God will do the rest. Rui Ci and Jed, our coordinators always reminded us not to demand the outcome and to not be discouraged if we are not able to see the outcome instantly. I fully agree with them in this case. Three weeks is just too short to get everything done. It requires long-term efforts from multiple parties to achieve the goal of the project. I am glad she could finally remember some simple words that I taught her when I gave her a call after returning from Bario. :D :D

It was an amazing 3 weeks journey in Bario, and the experiences I have undergone are among those I would treasure for the rest of my life.

I hope this post gives you a basic idea of Project WHEE! and perhaps inspire you as well. 

Cheers!

K Rou