Date : 20th August - 23rd August 2011 (First Batch) ; 23rd August - 26th August 2011 (Second Batch) ; 20th August -22th August (Third Batch)
Aim : To actively raise awareness about conserving the marine ecosystems
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| Juara Turtle Project |
First Batch
In mid-August, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Club spearheaded a volunteer project in conjunction with a non-profit body called the Juara Turtle Project (JTP). One of the main objectives of this project was to actively raise awareness about conserving the marine ecosystems. JTP regularly organises a number of volunteer projects in order to enlighten society about the importance of protecting the environment and its inhabitants. Besides the obvious motion of the project, which is to prevent the extinction of turtles, this community also strives to save other endangered wildlife. As a culture-oriented club, UNESCO seized this opportunity to instil the importance of creating awareness in our pool of young-adults.
Due to the overwhelming response from the student body, four batches of students were formed, each batch consisting of eight to fifteen volunteers. All four batches were sent directly to the volunteer site which was at Juara Beach in Tioman Island, Pahang. This project was carried out from the 14th August to the 23rd August. Fortunately, HELP's Department of Student Affairs was very generous to provide land transport to the nearest jetty to Tioman Island, free of charge. This act of generosity was greatly appreciated by all the volunteers.
The groups of volunteers were sent to Mersing Jetty by a van provided by HELP. Their journey lasted around 5 hours. They then took a ferry to Tioman Island and got off as they arrived at Juara Beach. On the first day of the four days three nights programme, JTP's project leader, Simon, gave a warm welcome followed by a further detailed explanation about the JTP agenda. Many of the volunteers were first-timers. It was their first time being involved in a volunteer project. Activities such as beach-camping, beach patrol, turtle lookout, construction and gardening were a part of the contributions made for the project.
By the end of the project, the volunteers had helped to increase the survival rate of the turtles and instilled in themselves the spirit of volunteerism. Simon and his team showed great appreciation towards our efforts in helping them. Volunteers not only did their part for the environment but also formed new bonds with their fellow volunteers through cooperation, coordination and team-building activities. All in all, they brought back precious experiences to share, as well as succeeded in bettering themselves as individuals.
Prepared by,
Low Kah Haw
1st Batch Volunteer Representative,
UNESCO Division, HELP United Nations Club.
Second Batch
This volunteer project has truly been an eye-opening experience. I was in charge of the second batch of volunteers. At first, I did not even know most of my group members but thankfully they turned out to be friendly and like-minded people who made my trip enjoyable. The journey to Mersing was uneventful as we travelled by a van, courtesy of HELP. However, the moment we reached the Mersing jetty, I and a few others were stunned. This was because it was our first time to Tioman Island. There were guides asking about which ferry operator we would follow, what time we were leaving and whether we already bought tickets. It was a lot to take in at once. After several hours of the ferry ride, we all reached Tekek safely. We arrived at Tekek around 2pm and were fortunate enough to have the chalet owner transport us to the chalet for free via jeep.
The next day, we began the long trek through the island forest to the village of Juara after securing a four-wheel-drive vehicle to transport our luggage and two people from our group. Along the way we detoured to a waterfall for some rest and recreation. We swam and dived into a beautiful lake to cool down. The forest was very beautiful and easy to trek. Even one of my group members who had asthma managed to trek through the forest. Along the way we met a lot of foreigners who were very friendly and had only good things to say about Juara. However once we were out of the forest things got tough. The guide insisted Juara Turtle Project was only 5 minutes away, but it turned out to be closer to 30 minutes. Once we reached there, we were served French toast and were briefed about Juara Turtle Project and our duties.
Upon unpacking and settling down, we proceeded to help around with chores and tasks, which included gardening, light construction, cutting down bamboo and beach clean-up. At around 2pm, we took a break and went snorkelling at the beach. In the evening, we set up tents on the beach and went out for dinner. When we returned to the beach we could not find the tents. Lo and behold, it ended up being blown away into the sea. After recovering the tents, we were exhausted so we slept in the rooms provided. However, those in charge of patrolling still continued to carry out their duty. It was that night that we saw a few eggs hatching. We were very lucky to be able to chance upon that sight.
The next morning was spent washing the sand-filled tents. Next we did some arts and craft by building a fake sea turtle. Upon completion, we attended one of the many talks that were held about Juara Turtle Project at the project site. Visitors were told about the project’s history and goals. Undeterred by the happenings of last night, we set up the tents yet again. However, we wizened up this time around and placed bricks in the tent to prevent it from being blown off. Night came and the tents did not get blown off. We slept in the tents for a short while until most of us decided that it was too hot and decided to camp out in the open.
The next day, we hired another four-wheel-drive vehicle to transport all of us back to Tekek. We then waited for the ferry back to Mersing on the mainland. However due to a misjudgement, we waited too long and missed the ferry to Mersing. We had to take a ferry to TanjungGemok and managed to hitch a ride on an express bus heading to Mersing. The transport van then sent us back home and we reached HELP around 8pm. Overall, the Juara Turtle Project was an enjoyable experience and I would recommend everyone to go for it.
Prepared by,
Kelvin Lim Ming Ken
2nd Batch Volunteer Representative,
UNESCO Division, HELP United Nations Club.