PDK Cenwaey Penaney holds first Sports Day for Semai OA Students

PDK Cenwaey Penaney, a community learning centre built in the Semai indigenous villages of Ulu Tual, northwest of Pahang, organised its inaugural Sports Day event over a sunny weekend in July 2016. Located about 23km from the nearest paved road, this rural learning centre caters to about 100 school-going children, and was the first educational establishment to benefit from the MyKasih Orang Asli Children's Education Fund. Children and youth dressed in their Sports House colours of red, blue, green and yellow, were blazing through marked-out trails during the cross-country competition. They participated in other fun traditional games and telematches together with their parents and siblings. Pre-schoolers participated in age-appropriate games such as arranging cans in order of numbers, carrying sand using a banana leaf to fill up a bottle, and peeling as many young beetle nuts as they could within a time limit. The bigger children were involved in pole-climbing (a team activity), 100m running events (individual and in pairs), long jump, and bowling using coconuts. Family telematches include Tarik Upih (parents pulling coconut fronds with their child seated on it) and building a bicycle using tapioca plants. For MyKasih Foundation, it was a truly memorable weekend to witness healthy and happy children. Donors John and Edwina Thornton, who supported the centre’s operations this 2016, visited PDK Cenwaey Penaney on 2 July 2016 and met with the students and community elders. They presented prizes to the winners of the cross-country event and held a book-reading and sing-along session with the children. A doctor and medical officers from the Kuala Lipis District Ministry of Health’s community clinic and dental clinic were also present to carry out basic health and dental screening, and dispense medicines to those who needed. Photo credit: PDK Cenwaey Penaney.