Six-month India stint for Dusun grandma
Published on: Monday, September 29, 2014
Kota Kinabalu: Mary ChinGrandma Tarihing Binti Masanim, a Dusun from Kg Sonsogon Magandai in Kota Marudu, had never set foot on an airport or seen an aeroplane, let alone take a flight anywhere.For a woman who has rarely left her own village, it takes indomitable courage for her to step out of her comfort zone and travel to a foreign land that is full of challenges.
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On Monday (September 15), the 40-year-old rubber tapper took a bold and unprecedented step by flying to Kuala Lumpur en route to Delhi, India, for a six-month training course in solar engineering at the Barefoot College in India under the Sabah Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Association (Swepa) Barefoot Solar Project.Swepa took up the challenge to embark on this project costing about RM300,000 in line with its philosophy of "Women Helping Women."Tarihing, who has four children and nine grandchildren, was chaperoned by Yap Li Ling of Asian Forestry Company (Sabah) Sdn Bhd (AFCS). As coordinator, she sits on the Swepa Barefoot Solar Project Committee.She is among 40 semi-literate and illiterate women from 10 countries, including Malaysia, who will be taught how to fabricate, install, repair and maintain solar lighting units under the Barefoot Women Solar Engineers Programme at the college.
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Which means they will learn how to handle sophisticated charge controllers, to install solar panels and link them to batteries and to build solar lanterns.On hand to send Tarihing and Yap off at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) were the President of Swepa cum Project Adviser, Datin Jeanette Tambakau, Deputy Project Organising Chairperson, Hanaa Wong Abdullah, and Publicity Chief, Karen Wong.
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Even as Tarihing was about to enter the departure hall, her husband, Jupirin, also a rubber tapper, and daughter Salina called again from Kota Marudu, eager to know whether everything was all right. They were reassured by Tambakau and Yap that Tarihing was not making the trip alone.Though naturally nervous, she put on a brave front while asking prematurely who would receive her at the airport when she returns in March next year. And would the same people (Tambakau, Hanaa and Karen) be there to pick her up for home? "Yes, yes," they replied.The duo reached Delhi after a four-hour flight, where she was joined by two illiterate grandmas from Myanmar. Tarihing, who converses in Dusun and Bahasa Melayu, thought her new friends could speak in Bahasa Melayu. Together they travelled to the Barefoot College which meant another five hours' journey, this time by road. The college is located in Tilonia, a small village in the State of Rajasthan in the western part of India.It was 7am on Tuesday (September 16) when they arrived at their destination where they were served chapati (Indian flatbread), white rice and tomato gravy for breakfast."The first thing Tarihing did was to make a call back home. She managed to get through to her husband from the first dial," said Yap who also sent a short messaging service (SMS) text to update him on his wife's wellbeing.Prior to the historical trip, Tarihing was given an orientation stint by Swepa leaders and friends when she put up with Tambakau and others.Apart from shopping for clothes, she was virtually taken on a tour of the State Capital by members of the Project Committee, and later shown the KKIA and aircraft there by Hanaa.Swepa bought her a new handphone so that she could communicate with her family while members of the Project Committee pooled their resources to get her new clothes and a suitcase with Yap contributing a pair of walking-shoes.Tambakau gave her a watch with Yap contributing a pair of walking shoes. Just in case Tarihing would crave for Malaysian food, Yap had Maggie Mee and other local foodstuff packed into her luggage.In the ensuing weeks, the women trainees from different nationalities will be made to feel at home while enabling them to familiarise themselves with different terms, tools, components and equipment used in solar technology.Founder cum Director of the Barefoot College, Sanjit "Bunker" Roy had said practical demonstrations or "hands-on" experience and regular repetition would help the grandmothers remember terms, tools, equipment and components that most have heard and seen for the first time.What then would be the medium of training and communication?According to him, it is a unique "language" consisting of a combination of gestures, signs and broken English.While conceding there are many stories of exceptional courage of grandmothers who can't read and write, Roy admitted that they had some risks, some almost failures when asked on the rate of success of the Barefoot Women Solar Engineers programme.Tarihing was one of three illiterate grandmothers from Sabah identified for the training stint by Roy during his selection trip to Kota Marudu in May this year. Kg Sonsogon Magandai was selected as it met the criteria of having 100 households without electricity supply, among other aspects.Asked how he did it, Roy had told this writer : "You know, after you do this for many years, within half an hour, you know which grandmother you want to take."Even though you can't speak to her, even though she can't speak to you, you know from your gut that this is the woman who will make a very good solar engineer. So I asked them, 'Would you like to come to India?' They said, 'Yes.'He added: "We (Barefoot College) are defying all theory because we are training illiterate grandmothers to be solar engineers. And that is what makes the difference, that is what is going to make a difference today."So it's a completely different mindset that is required here because impossible becomes possible with grandmothers around the world."With the support Swepa and other partners gave, the grandmas we identify, the grandmas we change, they are going to change the world!"However, subsequently, one of the trio, Runsaya Mojima, 43, could not make it for health reason. Another one, Boyokot Punan, 40, developed cold feet and pulled out despite having been brought to the Immigration Department to make her passport. What frightened her was the MH17 tragedy apart from "talk" in the village that foreign women might be "sold off" in India."I refuse to listen to all that as I have trust in the people taking me to India. At first, saya takut (I was scared) but I have since overcome my fear," said a steadfast Tarihing whose husband has no objection. At one stage, she even ventured to ask whether the people in India were good.Still, the Project Committee was kept on tenterhooks, especially when there was a glitch with the issuance of her six-month visa. The administrative matter was solved at the eleventh hour with the intervention of Roy, who had to call the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur from India.Earlier, Project Organising Chairperson, Datuk Adeline Leong, Tambakau and Yap had met with Jupirin at Kg Sonsogon Magandai and explained the nature of the project which is for the benefit of the village community.The Swepa ladies also convinced Jupirin that his wife will return to Sabah when she graduates as a Barefoot Woman Solar Engineer at the end of six months from now. "You may go but you must come back after your training is over," he had told her in the village.AFCS is one of Swepa's partners in the Barefoot Solar Project, the others being United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (UNDP GEF SGP), Government of India, Barefoot College, Sabah Credit Corporation, Pacos Trust and Raleigh International. Daily Express is the media partner.Funding of training for two women, travel expenses and medical fees is fully met by the Government of India through its Ministry of External Affairs. "We (Swepa) are still looking for a second grandma from Kg Sonsogon Magandai to join the March intake next year," said Tambakau.According to her, Swepa budgeted RM10,000 for the project while the UNDP GEF SGP gave a grant for the acquisition of solar equipment from India for the 100 houses at Kg Sonsogon Magandai. "If everything goes well according to plan, the solar equipment will be transported and delivered to the site by February 2015,"she added.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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