KampungKu - The Gift of Solar Power

KAMPUNGKU
The Gift of Solar Power

KampungKu is a series of renewable energy projects dedicated to resolving the energy-related needs of indigenous rural communities across Malaysia by providing small-scale solar solutions.

KampungKu was founded in late 2016 by Arran Rahul Hashim, an alumnus of Lewis and Clark College with a BA in Economics and a passion for service work. Since his early days at Lewis and Clark College, Arran had a vision of collaborating with Orang Asli communities (the indigenous people) to identify renewable energy technologies that complemented their nomadic lifestyle. With help from ECOMY and Lewis & Clark College, KampungKu's first corporate social responsibility (CSR) partner, ten easy-to-use, mobile photovoltaic cells and solar lamps were installed in cooperation with the Orang Asli of Kampung Dedari — a quaint village community located upriver from Kuala Tahan and across from Taman Negara — in less than six months.

Since Kampung Dedari, KampungKu has initiated 4 other projects empowering over 288 Orang Asli. Alongside Lewis and Clark College, KampungKu is proud to involve VERITAS Design Group and Haskell Malaysia as proactive CSR partners in its mission to diffuse clean energy technologies across Malaysia. Long-term monitoring of the KampungKu solar project is supported by a local community group, the Bird Group Taman Negara (BGTN). ECOMY, through KampungKu, has set its sights on lighting up many more villages in the near future and continues to look for more partnerships to help grow its renewable energy network.

KampungKu November 2022

With the generous support of the German Embassy of Kuala Lumpur, team ECOMY and our local partner Bird Group of Taman Negara successfully delivered and installed 40 units of SunKing Pro Solar Lights with panels. The team also spent time engaging with the villagers and discussed other plans to improve their well-being especially with clean and consistent water supply. This will be an ongoing engagement with more villages that has similar needs. Thank you German Embassy and contact us for more information on how you can help.

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KampungKu November 2019

Kampung Tahan

KampungKu 2019 - Kampung Tahan, Royal Belum State Park, Perak. ECOMYs signature project is expanded in a modest three unit installation in the Jahai village of Kampung Tahan. A warm thanks to Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (main campus) Tourism Class for their support and contribution. In addition to presenting the photovoltaic cells and solar lamps, we also provided other essentials, such as towels, blankets, clothes, and toys for the children. All-in-all, a weekend well spent!

KampungKu Project Revisit

Kampung Aur

KampungKu 2019 is around the corner, and monitoring work continues for the units we installed last year. All seems great! Thank you, Lewis & Clark College, Arran Rahul Hashim, VERITAS Design Group, Haskell Malaysia, Bird Group Taman Negara, and our friends from Kampung Aur.

KampungKu Project at Kampung Aur

17 - 18 August 2018

ECOMY's signature event for the second year running was another resounding success!

In collaboration with Lewis & Clark College, VERITAS Design Group, and Haskell Malaysia, the KampungKu team installed 15 units in the 15 modest homes of Kampung Aur, located 45 minutes upriver from Kuala Tahan. The Bird Group Taman Negara remains our local partner, helping us monitor the project equipment and engage with the Kampung Aur Asli.

As we stepped foot into the village, we were warmly welcomed by a procession of Kampung Aur Asli of all ages, who paid close attention as we demonstrated how to operate the easy-to-use solar equipment. Not only did the volunteers explain the equipment assembly process and distribute lunch meals and essentials to families, but they also helped build a solar farm — a centralized charging site — using only materials selected by the Kampung Aur Asli! This full-day excursion also included a village tour, where many volunteers witnessed what nomadic living looked like for the first time. As night approached, all the equipment was tested and handed over to the Kampung Aur Asli, triggering our departure from the quaint village community.

ECOMY would like to thank all our friends - Lewis & Clark College, VERITAS Design Group, Haskell Malaysia, Bird Group Taman Negara, media friends, and the community of Kampung Aur for the successful installation!

KampungKu Project for 2018

17 - 18 August 2018, Kuala Tahan, Pahang, Malaysia

Organised by: Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY) and supported by Lewis & Clark College, VERITAS Design Group, and Haskell Malaysia. Bird Group Taman Negara will act as the Ground Monitoring Team (responsible for helping install the equipment and monitoring).

Problem Statement: Kampung Aur doesn’t have access to a reliable source of electricity, which hampers the after-school education of their children, restricts income-generating activities to the daytime, and makes it difficult navigating the village site at night. Funding is available to address these electricity-related issues.

Project Goal: The project will deliver the appropriate solar and lighting technologies to address the communities' electricity-related needs.

Orang Asli Etnik Batek Terima Lampu Solar Percuma

Utusan

The work of ECOMY, Lewis & Clark College, and the Bird Group Taman Negara in the papers today! Especial thanks to our friends in the media for covering the story and the Kampung Dedari Asli for allowing us into their homes.

ECOMY and Friends Bring the Gift of Lights to Local Communities

A new and innovative project to support local Orang Asli communities that live in and around protected areas was successfully launched today by local NGO, Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY), in partnership with the Bird Group Taman Negara and supported by Lewis & Clark College, Portland, USA.

Ten easy use and mobile solar panels for lights were installed in the Orang Asli community of Kampung Dedari, located upriver from Kuala Tahan and across from Taman Negara, Pahang.

ECOMY CEO & Co-founder Andrew Sebastian remarked, "We are blessed to have so many natural resources here in Taman Negara, and one of the best and unique are the Orang Asli community! This is one way ECOMY, in partnership with local NGOs [BGTN] and generous corporate social responsibility partners [Lewis & Clark College], can appreciate and support local communities that continue to play an important role in ecotourism and as wardens of our rainforests".

We are blessed to have so much natural resources here in Taman Negara and one of the best and unique are the orang asli community! This is one way ECOMY in partnership with Lewis & Clark College and localised NGO such as the BGTN, can appreciate and support local communities that continue to play an important role in ecotourism and as wardens of our rainforest.