TEMERLOH: Orang Asli children from nine primary and secondary schools received assistance in terms of basic needs for the new school term. The initiative dubbed “Back to School” was mooted by Temerloh Rotary Club while Rotarians from Ampang, Petaling Jaya, Bukit Bintang and Sri Petaling also lent their support to the programme. Club president Patrick Lim said the programme was held for the fifth consecutive year to benefit Orang Asli students in five rural settlements in Temerloh and central Pahang region. Lim said these villages were situated mostly at the jungle fringes and not well served in terms of education, housing and other amenities. “Getting a proper education is the key to help uplift the lives of the community out of the poverty bracket. “Many of these Orang Asli children are not able to attend and receive a proper education as their families are poor and cannot afford to buy school uniform and other basic necessities,” he said during a simple presentation ceremony to 365 students at SK Penderas in Kuala Krau. Also present were club vice-president Datuk Hiang A Li, public relations director Datuk Seiko Chew Kim Pong, Ampang Rotary Club president Kevin Lee and Sri Petaling Rotary Club president Laang Jhe How. Lim said their long-term aim was to help create awareness among Orang Asli parents on the importance of education for their future generations. Separately, Hiang said this year, they had identified nine schools to receive the assistance. The schools are SK Penderas, SK Teluk Sentang, SK Kampung Kiol, SK Kampung Tekis, SMK Kuala Krau, SMK Teluk Sentang, SMK Lancang, SMK Kampung Kiol and SMK Kampung Tekis. “The recipients comprise 476 pupils in four primary schools and 141 students from five secondary schools. “We hope all these 617 recipients will do well in their studies and bring about improvements to their family’s well-being,” he said. Hiang said the cost for each primary pupil was RM65 while it was RM85 for a secondary school student, bringing the total cost involved to RM42,340. He added that due to the numbers, another presentation ceremony would be held later to distribute the items to the remaining 252 students. Meanwhile, Chew expressed hope that the sponsored items would help to encourage Orang Asli students to attend and enjoy learning. “We hope to be able to carry on with this meaningful programme in the coming years through the joint effort of other rotarians in Rotary International District 3300,” he said.