A group photo with participants and workshop trainers and facilitators in Bario. Photos by WWF-Malaysia.
Ng (back to WWF banner) facilitating a group in Ba’ Kelalan during the brainstorming session on potential SE business in the highlands that can solve problem with high transportation cost.
MIRI: A total of 125 participants from indigenous communities in the highlands of Sarawak attended a series of workshops on social entrepreneurship (SE) in Long Semadoh, Ba’ Kelalan, and Bario between Mar 8 and 11.
The workshops were organised by WWF-Malaysia, Forum Masyarakat Adat Dataran Tinggi Sarawak (Formadat) and Rurum Kelabit Sarawak (RKS) with support from Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre, Social Entrepreneurship (MaGIC SE), Innovation Foundation of Malaysia (YIM) and National Entrepreneurship Development Office (NEDO).
The purpose of the workshops was to raise awareness on SE and its potentials to the communities and also what SE can contribute to social development and environmental conservation. The workshop also aimed to seek SE champions among the rural communities.
These workshops formed part of MaGIC’s SE Rural Outreach Programme.
As of 2015, there were only about 150 social enterprises in Malaysia, a very low number if compared to countries such as Thailand and the Philippines, which have 700,000 and 30,000 respectively.
WWF-Malaysia Senior Community Engagement and Education Programme officer Alicia Ng shared, “We believe that developing SE is important because successful enterprise would eventually contribute to our objectives in conserving the forest, where local communities themselves manage conservation initiatives independently.”
“SE initiatives can encourage local communities to start their businesses with considerations of social and environmental impacts in their business model, as form of alternative livelihoods instead of fully depending on natural resources.”
According to Ehon Chan, executive director of MaGIC SE, the programme was designed to be inclusive so that there was a programme for all social entrepreneurs at every stage.
“There are tremendous amount of opportunities in the highlands, and we hope we’ll see some of these social entrepreneurs start progressing through some of our programmes as they grow their ventures.”
“MaGIC SE hopes these training will inspire local communities to venture into social entrepreneurship and see the various social problems faced by the communities as business opportunities.”
Furthermore, MaGIC SE will develop a more comprehensive module to further develop the skills of these aspiring entrepreneurs in rural and remote areas.”
During the workshops, MaGIC SE trainers raised awareness on SE, the business model and opportunity for the local communities in the accelerator programme that supports selected SE start-up biannually.
Another trainer from YIM presented the fundamental of entrepreneurship and marketing tips that was specially designed for the audience.
In the last session, participants were asked to think of some social and environmental issues that were needed to be addressed and brainstormed SE ideas that were relevant and suitable for their areas.
Formadat Sarawak chairman Penghulu George Sigar Sultan thanked the organising partners for bringing the first social entrepreneurship workshops to the highland communities.
“We hope there would be continuous follow-ups on the workshop results that will train and help our people to setup their own SE ventures to help the local communities and the environment.”
The organisers hoped these workshops would unlock some inspirations for the local communities to work on various projects from preservation of arts, heritage and culture to conservation of the natural environment threatened by unsustainable use of resources and impacts as the result of assimilation and modernisation.