| James Kon |
THE closing ceremony of the phase two project of Green Xchange 10 was held at the Al-Muhtadee Billah Mosque, Sungai Kebun yesterday.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin was the guest of honour.
The project, conducted by the Society for Community Outreach and Training (SCOT) Green Xchange Team, encouraged residents to turn in recyclable items in exchange for commodities such as rice. The 10th Green Xchange included a second phase Green Xchange Recycling Drive unlike previous iterations.
“Three tonnes of recyclable items, donated by the public, were collected during the project. The initiative encouraged the public to donate their recyclable items to fund projects to help the underprivileged,” said Green Xchange Project leader Amalina Khairunnisa binti Haji Sirat. “SCOT encourages more volunteers to actively participate in community initiatives.”
“I gained experience in helping communities and working together with other volunteers,” said Mohammad Izzul, 20, a student volunteer from Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA).
Siti Nur Affina binti Halid Khan, 18, a student volunteer from UNISSA said, “Alhamdulillah, it was a great opportunity to join the event as it taught the importance of teamwork and communication skills”.
The minister also visited station checkpoints of the villages at the parking lot of the mosque. The minister presented four kg of rice to Mohaimin bin Haji Ibrahim who exchanged used electronic items in the Green Xchange programme. Mohaimin applauded the project and hoped it will continue.
Legislative Council member Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari, government officials, supporters and sponsors of Green Xchange 10; previous Green Xchange project leaders; Mukim Sungai Kebun residents; Green Xchange 10 volunteers and the executive and committee members of SCOT were also present.
Since SCOT Green Xchange’s inception in 2011, the non-governmental organisation aimed to be a catalyst for sustainable poverty alleviation in Brunei Darussalam. It has collected around 46,000 tonnes of recyclable items from around 2,000 people in 10 villages.
Over 700 volunteers comprising youth participated in the initiative.