| James Kon |
A PICTURESQUE village in Brunei Darussalam grabbed headlines across the region when it won the coveted Asean Leadership Award on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, thanks to the dedicated efforts of its village consultative council.
The Kampong Kapok Village Consultative Council (MPK Kapok) received the award for its rural welfare project in a ceremony held at JW Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday night.
The award recognises the council’s initiatives that have put utmost priority to the well-being of the underprivileged and unemployed in the village.
Launched in 2012, one of the projects implemented by the village as part of its welfare programme is making of Kerepek Pisang, or banana crisps, where the sales proceeds of the products provide extra income to some 15 underprivileged and unemployed individuals.
The event was hosted by Dato Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob, Minister of Rural and Regional and Development of Malaysia.
On behalf of the MPK Kapok, Siti Masrohani binti Jaini, its secretary, received the award in the grand ceremony.
The Asean Rural Development and Poverty Eradication Leadership Awards is a biennial activity of the Senior Officials Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (SOMRDPE) under the Framework Action Plan on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (FAP-RDPE 2011-2015).
The award is in recognition of the roles, outstanding achievements and contributions of non-governmental organisations/civil society organisations (NGOs/CSOs) and the private sector to the rural/community development, livelihood creation and poverty reduction of local communities.
Siti Masrohani who brought the accolade to Brunei was greeted on arrival at the Brunei International Airport by Haji Marali bin Haji Ahmad, Village Head of Kampong Kapok and Chairman of MPK Kapok as well as the members of the council.
“We are honoured to represent the country and to receive this award. This is the first award that we received from Asean,” an elated Haji Marali told the Sunday Bulletin.
He hoped that the award will inspire other village consultative councils to follow the footsteps of the exemplary Kampong Kapok.
“The people who produce and sell the Kerepek Pisang are otherwise unemployed and underprivileged and the proceeds from the sales go a long way in easing their financial burden.
The Kerepek Pisang is widely available in the Brunei-Muara District and we always participate in expos and fairs where the products have received highly positive response from the public,” he said, explaining the village’s novel welfare initiatives. “If there is a fire or disaster, the village consultative council will be the first to respond to ensure the welfare of its people,” he added.
The village head also mentioned that MPK Kapok is looking at starting a banana plantation to produce raw materials for making Kerepek Pisang. Haji Marali conveyed his gratitude to the Brunei-Muara District Office under the Ministry of Home Affairs for the continuous support it renders for the village.
In 2014, MPK Kapok had received silver award in the 3rd National Excellent Village Awards.
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