Attendance in rural schools, especially amongst the Orang Asli,is a problem. Rain, hours of darkness at the beginning of the day, the need to travel one or two miles without motorized transport are all disincentives.

For this reason Ecomalaysia has embarked on an initiative to supply rural schools in the Pekan district with bicycles. These bicycles will be awarded to year 4,5, and 6 pupils in the primary sector. The granting of a bicycle will be dependent on an improved attendance rate and progress in English language. Initially it is planned to supply 30 bicycles but this could be an ongoing initiative.

When we first moved to Malaysia six years ago with four children who have only ever known life in England, our largest expense was food. Being Hampshire Hogs - whose summers were filled with blackberry picking by the roadside and wonderful afternoons in strawberry farms, my children had a cultural shock when told that we can no longer buy punnets of strawberries with our weekly shop.

Taking Care Of The Earth

The Earth is not only the common heritage of humanity, but also our ultimate source of life. By overexploiting its’ resources, we are in the process of undermining the very ground of our survival. All around we see the signs of destruction caused by human action and the degradation of nature. So protection and preservation of the Earth are questions not of morality or ethics, but of survival. The way we rise to this challenge will have an impact not just on our generation but on many generations to come.

As it becomes increasingly important in Malaysia to focus on conservation and a greener future, the next generation are preparing to take on the challenges of caring for our planet and it's living creatures.

Malaysia is somewhat on the front lines - home to the oldest living rainforests in the world and a massive and very vulnerable variety of flora and fauna.

EcoMalaysias Dan Gibas caught up with a busy vet in training -  Miss Eunice Tan Vern Shing.

Lets dive right in to the interview...

Dan:

How long does it take to become a qualified vet? What kind of studies will you have to go through?