KUCING SARAWAK :
The livelihood of the Bajau community in Pulau Larapan , one of the 49 islands in the pictureque Semporna, Sabah will be improve with a telecentre on the island becoming fully operational by may.
It is hoped that the telecentre, named '' Paglatunan ( meaning messenger in Bajau ) e-Larapan by the local, would improve the economy of the people.
The island which has two villages - Kampung Larapan Hujung and Kampung Larapan Tengah - has a total of about 1,000 residents with fishing becoming the main economic activity while a small number of them work at pearl firms not far from the island, while some women are involved in small-scale tapioca farming.
Pulau Larapan about 30 minutes ride from Semporna, is glaringly marginalised from mainstream development as people are relaying heavily on individually-owned generators to light up their houses.
The telecentre will be powered by solar system, which utilises of the most efficient and powerful sources of natural energy - the sun.
Project Manager for the eLarapan project, Mohd Faisal Syam Abdol Hazir said a home stay programme would be implemented to uplift the livelihood of the people.
'' We hope Pulau Laparan will become a tourist destination and generate income for the peolple and improve their livelihood." he told reporters here yesterday - Bernama.
Rujukan : Surat Khabar, New Sabah Times. ( Home )
Thursday, March 11, 2010
