[NEWS] Volunteers Find Growth through Service on Sabah’s East Coast

Besides the majestic Mount Kinabalu, Sabah is also famed for its pristine islands and vibrant coral reefs. Yet, in several eastern coastal towns, a starkly different reality unfolds: clusters of wooden houses perched on stilts above rubbish-strewn swamps. Here, families without legal identity or nationality live in constant fear of arrest by enforcement officers.

Eighteen-year-old Magona was first in line at Tzu Chi’s medical outreach in Kampung Panji. A growing lump presses against her chest, and an infection has left her blind in her right eye.

Patient | Magona
I’ve had this condition since I was little.
I’m very grateful
that you came here to help us.

Sandakan Tzu Chi Volunteer | Kiing Teck Ngie
I hope with this free medical outreach,
villagers can become more aware of their health
and seek treatment early, instead of
waiting till illnesses turn serious and costly to treat.
When minor illnesses aren’t treated properly
and become severe,
the burden can break an entire family.

Volunteers from Lahad Datu, Tawau, Sandakan and the Klang Valley joined forces to provide basic medical care to 363 villagers, some of whom are Bajau and Suluk people, who don’t speak Malay.

Volunteer Interpreter | Hayati
I speak Suluk and Bajau,
and I can translate them into Malay.
Most families in this inland area live in hardship.
When my child fell sick,
Tzu Chi supported us from Lahad Datu
all the way to the hospital in Kota Kinabalu,
until my child had surgery.
They even covered the costs.

Thirty-two volunteers and TIMA members from the Klang Valley flew to Sabah at their own expense, and the experience proved deeply fulfilling.

Klang Valley Volunteer | Loo Jia Cheng
What struck me most was moving the supplies.
Everyone worked together
to carry the items from outside
to the mosque inside.
With such a big team sharing the load,
it felt so much lighter.

Klang Valley Volunteer | Ng Chong Kiat
The local volunteers here truly deserve praise.
Firstly, they take on multiple roles
because they have fewer hands.
They’re also willing to give others a chance –
‘Okay, let’s go with your idea.’
I really admire that spirit.

After the outreach, the team visited the Tzu-Chi Alternative Learning Centre in Tawau and witnessed the transformative power of education for stateless children.

Klang Valley Volunteer | Goh Hock Seng
It felt like we came all the way
from Kuala Lumpur to help them.
But when I think deeper,
they’re actually helping me,
allowing me to not only learn Tzu Chi’s teachings,
but also truly live them.

Klang Valley Volunteer | Loo Lai Ming
I’ve always spent recklessly.
But after seeing such hardship,
I now realise some things (we buy)
aren’t really necessary.
We can keep them for those who truly need them.

Stateless communities in Lahad Datu and Tawau remain vulnerable – living in fear of raids, cut off from society and deprived of essential supplies and aid.

By Lee Lay Sim & Lim Yen Kuan, MY DAAI Malaysia