Hostels finally for over 1,000 Tamparuli, Keningau students
Published on: Friday, February 21, 2020
By: Lorena Binisol
KOTA KINABALU: Two hostels have been erected for the wellbeing and safety of the rural students who used to walk miles away to school before, all thanks to the Rotary Club of Kk South (RCKKS).
The Saint Maria Goretti hostel in Keningau which started to take off in 2003
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under Past President Spencer Soo and completed under PP George Chong had since opened its doors to more than 1,000 girls aged between 10 and 19 from the rural villages in Keningau district.
The club spent 10 years for the completion, when they were first approached by the Archbishop of Keningau in 1993.
Currently, the hostel is being supervised by Sister Francisca.
“The girls who used to walk many hours to reach their schools, now do not have to do so, thanks to the efforts of rotary club - they could now study safely at the hostel, with peaceful heart and mind,” she said.
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Past President Datuk Lee Swi Heng conveyed his profound appreciation to the donors who came forward for a good cause.
“We have also put out a video clip of the club to raise awareness of our projects. Apart from the hostel in Keningau, another project under our management is Kampong Bantayan Girls Hostel (KBGH) in Tamparuli.
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This is also to raise fund for the handover of a complete building, furnished with essentials to the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu.
Current president of RCKKS, Joanne Lim stated that a quality education alleviates poverty and increases maternal and child health and it gives better access to education and literacy and aids with economic and community development.
The club is organising a Charity Golf on Feb 22 at Sabah Golf and Country Club in Bukit Padang.
Corporates who had contributed immensely towards their projects are;
Hole-in-One Prizes:
Mega City Avenue Sdn Bhd – A unit of Condo worth RM519,000 at K Avenue.
Docomo Development Sdn Bhd – Cash Voucher of RM400,000.
Kota Bumi Sdn Bhd – VW Passat 2.0 TSI Elegance worth RM191,000.
Fook Loi Trading Sdn Bhd – Proton X70 1.8 TGDI Standard SUV at RM100,000.00
Lee said for the prize of Hole in One, Docomo Development Sdn Bhd is giving all the Par 3s cash voucher valued at RM400,000 and in the event if golfer strikes a Hole in One, he could use the voucher to purchase a link bungalow in the development. Hence the value of sponsorship from Docomo Development would be RM 1.6 m.
Meanwhile, cash donation received were from:
Sabah Development Bank Bhd – RM10,000.00. (This fund has been earmarked solely for the furnishing of the Kampung Bantayan Girls Hostel).
Sabah Energy Corporation Sdn Bhd – RM3,000.00.
Henry Butcher Malaysia (Sabah) Sdn Bhd – RM1,000.00
Lucky Draw & Goodies were received from: Sime Darby Auto Connexion Sdn Bhd, Harrisons Holdings (M) Bhd, F&N Beverages Marketing Sdn Bhd, Regas Premium Sabah Sdn Bhd, Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu Marriott Hotel, Sutera Sactuary Lodges, W Hotel, Taipei, Le Meridien Sentosa, Singapore, Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, Hilton Kota Kinabalu, and DHL Express Parcel Servce, Kota Kinabalu
Lee said another project - the construction of KBGH was completed end of 2019 after various fund raising events held by the club.
“This is what I will call the ‘last mile’ in order that the hostel is complete with essential furnishing such as beds, mattresses, wardrobes, tables and chairs.
We will likely to put up curtains for both privacy as well as the glare from the sun. We will see the girls from lower-income groups benefitting once the hostel is fully operational,” Lee stated.
The KBGH project was started in 2009 when the club realised there was a need for a hostel in the district. To start off, a piece of land donated by one Tan Chong Yian who gave one acre of his land for erecting the building. In 2015, under the leadership of PP Arthur Soo, the physical work started in Kg Bantayan.
The hostel could accommodate 80 girls in three single storey blocks.
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