Tribal Scoops: Traditional Kelabit offering

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2012/11/15/tribal-scoops-traditional-kelabit-offering/

Dave Avran | November 15, 2012 

 

We found the staff to be friendly and attentive while the food was awesome. This restaurant is definitely on the shortlist for the frigglive annual awards.

FOOD REVIEW

 

Sarawak in general is chock full of intriguing and great ethnic cuisine experiences and Kuching’s Tribal Scoops is a gem of a find introduced to us by Kuching socialite Gracie Geikie.

Nestled just next to Tune Hotel at the Taman Sri Sarawak complex and facing the Kuching Hilton, it celebrates the unique food, farming, forest and cultural heritage of the Bario Highlands – one of the last surviving intact traditionally farmed and forested highland watersheds in Sarawak and East Malaysia.

In order to fully appreciate the Tribal Scoops dining experience, a little history and geography lesson is in order. Bario is a village located in the centre of the Kelabit Highlands in the north east of Sarawak, very close to the international border with Indonesian Kalimantan, and 3280 feet above sea level. It is the main settlement in the Kelabit Highlands.

The Kelabit, at approximately 6,000 people, is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Sarawak. Like many other indigenous communities in Sarawak, the Kelabit live in longhouses in the Bario Highlands. It is estimated that only 1,200 Kelabit are still living in the highlands.

The community’s main economic activity is agriculture, mainly growing Bario rice. The cool climate at an average 20℃ enables the residents to cultivate citrus fruits besides rice. Bario is also famous for its high-potash salt and the refreshing, juicy Bario pineapple.



A chat with Tribal Scoops’s owner, Esther Balan-Gala, revealed that as she was unable to find readily available traditional Kelabit food anywhere in the city, she decided to open Tribal Scoops Restaurant to cater to that craving.

Her aim is to promote authentic ethnic food which is healthy and organic yet affordable, while also promoting Sarawak’s rich cultural heritage through the unique and authentic products being sold in her outlet, including Kek Lapis, ethnic headbands, Bario Highland salt and cinnamon, ethnic artworks and crafts, CDs of ethnic Sarawak music and recipe books.

This charitable lady reveals her soft side by allotting space on the walls to showcase artworks by talented but handicapped local artists, and never fails to encourage her customers to support them.

With that rather long introduction, let’s get down to the business of food. We opted for the buffet line instead of Ala Carte, and came face to face with Nubaq Layag which is mashed rice, either red or white, wrapped in a fragrant Isip leaf.

Before we could inquire, Esther explained that in the old days when people went to the farm, they didn’t have plates. So they used leaves for plates and even scoops for soup. We also use bamboo to bake fish and meats, and use them as serving dishes, cups and spoons, she said.



Next up, the Manuk Pansuh which is chicken cooked in bamboo had the wafting aromas of ginger, tapioca leaves and lemongrass, and was seasoned with organic Bario Highland Salt and had the distinct flavor of bamboo. This dish is also known as Pansoh locally.

More tapioca leaves were to be found in the savory Udung Ubih, which was stir- fried with tangy lemongrass.

Tribal Scoops boasts many other ethnic cuisines which are a must-try, such as A’beng (deboned fish), Pa’uh Ab’pa (jungle fern) fish cooked with Dayak brinjal, cucumber and black fungus soup, Labo Senutuq (shredded beef/serunding style beef), stir-fried bamboo shoots, bunga kantan salad and many more delicious dishes all cooked using organic ingredients and flavored with local herbs and spices as well as the mineral-rich Highland organic salt.

Esther stressed that they don’t use MSG in their cooking, their greens are all organic, and that all meat and fish at Tribal Scoops are obtained from Halal suppliers. No pork or lard is used in their cooking.



We found the staff to be friendly and attentive while the food was awesome. This restaurant is definitely on the shortlist for the frigglive annual awards.

Tribal Scoops offers free Wifi, and caters for private functions and events. They can also arrange for activities like rice wrapping demonstrations where participants will learn to wrap their own rice.

Tribal Scoops Restaurant and Snack Bar is located at No.10, 1st Floor, Block H, Jalan Borneo, Taman Sri Sarawak. Tel: 082-234873.

You can also find more at their website. Or their Facebook.

[photo credit: Veronica Ng]

Whispering Hope

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/10/14/whispering-hope/

by Chang Yi. Posted on October 14, 2012, Sunday


A YOUNG Kelabit girl cried for days when she could not further her education in Marudi. Elsewhere, the Bario Government Secondary School had been set up and she was to join the first Form 1 batch in the new school with the rest of her Bario Primary 6 peers.

NEW HOPE: Rokiah with the Penan children she met while they were walking to the school.

She felt as if her dream of joining older relatives in Marudi and Miri were dashed. However, three years later, upon completion of her Form 3 in Bario, she moved further afield – to study at St Teresa’s School in Kuching.

Her life from thence would be fairytale-like. And dearest to her heart, she was able to help her family in ways she never dreamed of. Instead of becoming a doctor herself, she married a doctor and not only brought up all her younger siblings but put them through college and university. Now, after bringing up her own two children it is time for her to do something for her community in the Bario Highlands.

This is the story of a Bario-born Kelabit lady, PDNR Datin Pearl Jai Mohan (PJK) and District Extension chairman (2012-2013) of Inner Wheel District 330. In West Malaysia, she is often mistaken for a North Indian lady because of her name and their unfamiliarity with the Kelabit ethnic group.

Recently, she and her friends went to Bario to carry out an Inner Wheel Whispering Hope project. They donated six large boxes of materials, including pencil cases and other items, to the Bario Primary School students.The excess luggage (for the donation) charged by MAS was RM300.

Headmistress Dora Tigang was delighted to host a special morning assembly to welcome the three Inner Wheel members – Pearl herself, Rokiah Abdul from the Kota Kinabalu branch and Florence Enau, president of Sarawak Inner Wheel. In Bario, they were joined by Inner Wheeler Joanna Joy.

CARING GESTURE: The Inner Wheel members handing over presents for the students of Bario Primary School to headmistress Dora.

The morning assembly gave the ladies the opportunity to speak from their hearts to the children.
Pearl told her own story of how she aimed high and how she has been able to give back to her beloved homeland.

Why was she giving pencils, for instance? When she was in primary school, she had to be creative in using pencils down to the last centimetre by using the stalk of ‘resam’ to extend her pencil. She had blisters in her little finger because she was writing with short pencils. Nowadays, she values pencils more than ever.

The disciplined primary school children, all sitting cross legged on the floor of the wooden Astaka (open assembly hall), were awestruck by her gracious presence and her short but effective speech.

Rokiah advised the students to study hard so that they could become pilots and doctors. She advised them to stay healthy and be active.

TEA BREAK: Having afternoon tea with Marilyn, sister of popular Kelabit doctor Dr Roland Mattu whose children are working in KL.

Florence, who spoke in English, advised them to learn English and go far, saying anyone could do this if they worked and studied hard and believed in themselves.

According to Dora, the children were very good in both Bahasa Malaysia and English because they and their parents were very enthusiastic about learning English. Tourists who come to Bario also help to open the minds of the people to the outside world.

At the end of the assembly, the students showed their appreciation in the Bario student way – clap clap clap clap … muah muah muah muah.

Still barefoot

“Many of the Penan students are still not wearing shoes,” remarked the observant Pearl.

She was already thinking of how to send school shoes to them.

The Penan students, in particular at the primary school level, are boarders. School mothers or student hostel administrators look after them and give them a good boarding programme of food and accommodation.

Food is prepared by a local Kelabit cook in the employ of the Sarawak government who has worked here for six years. By 11 o’clock, he has already prepared a balanced meal of curry chicken and a local vegetable with fragrant rice. Rice is fresh from the farm whenever parents bring extra rice to share.

Lovely children

The ladies also visited the pre-school department and met the lovely little Penan and Kelabit children – almost all of them undersized and dressed in a variety of clothing.

The favourite garb was long pants with an overly long dress and a sweat shirt on top. Pink is definitely the ‘in’ colour for the girls and blue of various shades for the boys. The pre-school teachers see to their snacks and the cleanliness of the classroom. There are 28 of them. Many of these Penan kids have walked one hour with their mothers to the school and they do that for more than 200 days a year!

In a separate project, the Miri Inner Wheel Club, headed by Florence, made a special charity drive and collected items to be donated to the Penans in the village of Arul Dalan. Home essentials like kettles and cooking pots are very much needed by the Penans who live in Arul Dalan, a newly set up Penan settlement about one hour’s walking distance from Bario Asal. Other donations include baby clothes and even a parang. A great essential is canvas which the Penan villagers appreciate.

The Penan children need more clothes and perhaps even special tuition to help them master their lessons in the primary school.

The Penan pre-schoolers have to walk one hour to school and one hour back. Their mothers walk one hour to bring them to school, then one hour back to their homes to do their chores. After that, they walk another one hour to school again, then one more hour to bring their children back home.

It is no wonder these Penan women are pencil-slim. They walk four hours a day just to make sure their children are safe in school and are back home in time to be with the family. Many modern city women don’t do so much on their treadmills!

Pearl and her friends are definitely thinking of more ways in which the Inner wheelers can help. They might see another project coming to Bario in November.

Conserving the Kelabit heritage

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/07/24/conserving-the-kelabit-heritage/

FMT Staff
July 24, 2011

Trekforce, a UK based organisation, is actively working on protecting and conserving the cultural sites of the Kelabit Highland communities.

KUCHING: Getting to Sarawak’s remotest region – the Kelabit Highlands – is no easy task. There are no boats and roads leading up to this vast plateau and if you miss the plane than it’s a two hour hike across the jungle until you reach a logging road and then hopefully catch a ride on a logging truck heading up.

The Kelabit Highlands is over 1,000 metres above sea level and lies between the Tama Abu Range and Apo Duat Range on the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

Here too is where the mighty Baram, Limbang and Lawas rivers begin.

The region’s many valleys are peppered with cottage-like settlements often surroundeded by padi fields.

In fact Bario, which a major settlement in the Kelabit Highlands, is famed for its rice which is touted to be of ‘excellent quality’.

This remote region, which is home to the Orang Ulu communities, is also the project station of a UK-based environmental conservation and community development volunteer organisation.

Calling themselves Trekforce, the group is actively working in Bario, Pa’ Umor and Pa’Main areas in the interior Kelabit Highland region.

The group comprises young self-funded volunteers between 18 and 30 years who are mostly from the UK, Europe, Canada and the US.

They work on six-week long projects which are both mentally and physically challenging, deep in Sarawak’s rainforest.

Trekforce’s key aims are to help protect and conserve the tropical rainforest ecosystems in Sarawak and to help the local people with community development projects in remote rural areas.

Burial sites

According to the expedition leader and country co-ordinator David Osborne, 30, Trekforce has, so far, carried out six successful expeditions in Sarawak since 2009.

He said the group has been working closely with the Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Association (RKS) and the community of Pa’ Umor on an ambitious cultural site and rainforest protection project and a wide range of community development projects including teaching English at SK Bario and Pa’ Dalih.

Osborne said that in 2009 Trekforce began efforts to protect ancient Kelabit cultural sites such as stone megaliths, burial grounds and dragon burial jars in the jungles of the Kelabit Highlands.

The Trekforce teams, he said, trekked deep into the jungles surrounding Bario, located the sites with local guides and GPS, identified them before cutting 400-square-metre boundaries around each site, and marked them with barricade tapes.

“The boundaries highlight these areas as protected to prevent logging operations entering and destroying both the invaluable cultural sites and the surrounding rainforests.

“So far, 105 cultural sites have now been protected in this way.

“After all of the cultural sites in Bario, Pa’ Umor and Pa’ Main areas were marked and boundaries cut, the next phase of this long-term project began.

“This involved the development of a network of trails, bridges and shelters created to provide an infrastructure framework for sustainable eco-tourism in the area and the research of the cultural sites,” Osborne explained.

Jungle trails

He said besides creating a network of jungle trails connecting existing trails with many of the cultural sites, Trekforce also constructed numerous solid wooden and bamboo bridges across difficult river passes.

“With these eco-tourism infrastructure now in place, more tourists, trekkers, nature-lovers, scientists and the local people will be encouraged to visit the area and develop an appreciation for the human history, values and beauty of the rainforest environment and wildlife.

“And this, in turn, would benefit the communities of Pa’ Umor and Bario through increased eco-tourism to provide employment for local jungle guides and more business for the many homestays in the area,” he said.

Explaining further Osborne added that “the protection of the rainforest environment and the diverse vegetation, insects, birds and animal wildlife within them is one of the important environmental challenges of our generation.”

“Borneo has some of the most pristine and biologically diverse rainforests on Earth, but their existence is severely threatened by the obvious and immediate expansion of logging and palm oil operations.

“Many indigenous groups in Sarawak have similar cultural sites, not to mention outstanding areas of beautiful rainforest – and I hope the kind of multi-level project achieved in the Bario area could form a part of a new strategy for indigenous groups all over Borneo to protect and preserve their native lands, cultural heritage, rainforest areas and, indeed, generate income and employment through this kind of low impact sustainable development,” he told local daily, the Borneo Post recently.

Further information on Trekforce can be found on their website www.trekforce.org.uk

Trekforce helps preserve Highlands heritage

http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/07/17/trekforce-helps-preserve-highlands-heritage/

by Cecilia B. Sman. Posted on July 17, 2011, Sunday

TREKFORCE – a UK-based environmental conservation and community development volunteer organisation – has completed a major conservation project in the Kelabit Highlands, particularly in Bario, Pa’ Umor and Pa’main.


CAPTIVATING: Scenic view of fish ponds and padi field in Bario.

The project – from November 5, 2009 to June 25, 2011 – has reinforced past and present researches by the agencies concerned in documenting and preserving the priceless cultural heritage in the areas, believed to contain the most dense assemblage of culture sites in Sarawak, if not in Malaysia.

Among the agencies involved were the Sarawak Museum (1986 and 2004) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) while other institutions included International Tropical Timber Organisations (ITT0). Also taking part in the project were researchers such as Sarah Hitchner (2007) and an academic from Pa’ Umor, professor Poline Balang of Unimas.

Trekforce comprises groups of young self-funded volunteers who embark on extreme expeditions to remote tropical rainforest areas. A large number of them – mostly from the UK, Europe, Canada and the US – are students, aged between 18 and 30 years, who have completed their education before entering college or university.

They are normally formed into mixed teams of around 10.

Their three key aims on each expedition are:

l To help protect and conserve the tropical rainforest ecosystems.

l To help the local people with vital community development projects in remote rural areas.

l To learn vital life skills such as teamwork, initiative and self-sufficiency during the physically and mentally demanding two-month expedition.

Survival training

Expeditions begin with a week of intensive jungle survival training where the volunteers are taught a wide range of survival skills, including fire-lighting, use of parangs, jungle navigation, building natural shelters, setting animal traps and collecting wild food.

Once trained to live and work safely and effectively in the challenging jungle environment, they trek into deep rainforests to set up basic hammock camps and begin the six-week conservation phase of their expedition.

On June 28, thesundaypost had the opportunity to interview the expedition leader and country co-ordinator, David Osborne, 30 (fondly known to the locals as ‘Os’ or by his Kelabit name ‘Berapui’ – meaning strong fire).

According to Os – along with close friends Al Davies, 31 (an English jungle survival expert) and Rian John Pasan, 40, (a local Kelabit guide and expedition leader) – Trekforce has, so far, carried out six successful expeditions in Sarawak since 2009, involving a total of 51 people, including Os himself.

He said since then, they have been working closely with the Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Association (RKS) and the community of Pa’ Umor on an ambitious cultural site and rainforest protection project, and a wide range of community development projects including teaching English at SK Bario and Pa’ Dalih.

He added that in 2009, work began with volunteer groups, protecting ancient Kelabit cultural sites such as stone megaliths, burial grounds and dragon burial jars in the jungles of the Kelabit Highlands.

The ‘pioneer’ groups trekked deep into the jungles surrounding Bario, located the sites with local guides and GPS, identified them before cutting 400-square-metre boundaries around each site, and marked them with barricade tapes.

The boundaries highlight these areas as protected to prevent logging operations entering and destroying both the invaluable cultural sites and the surrounding rainforests.

“So far, 105 cultural sites have now been protected in this way. After all of the cultural sites in Bario, Pa’ Umor and Pa’ Main areas were marked and boundaries cut, the next phase of this long-term project began.

“This involved the development of a network of trails, bridges and shelters created to provide an infrastructure framework for sustainable eco-tourism in the area and the research of the cultural sites,” Os explained.

Besides creating a network of jungle trails connecting existing trails with many of the cultural sites, Trekforce also constructed numerous wooden and bamboo bridges across difficult river passes and two major camp sites – Hornbill and Silverleaf Camp.

The bridges made of solid wood can last about 20 years while the bamboo bridges about three years.

Other benefits

Os said he is proud to be part of such important, urgent and cutting-edge conservation work.

“The benefits are myriad. Protection and preservation of the Kelabit cultural sites will allow future generations to visit these fascinating sites, as well as allowing further anthropological and scientific research into their nature and origins.”

He stressed the eco-tourism infrastructure now in place will allow tourists, trekkers, nature-lovers, scientists and the local people to visit the area and develop an appreciation for the human history, values and beauty of the rainforest environment and wildlife.

This, in turn, would benefit the communities of Pa’ Umor and Bario through increased eco-tourism to provide employment for local jungle guides and more business for the many homestays in the area.

Background of Os

Os himself had spent a year in Central America working on similar conservation projects for Trekforce before coming to Malaysia and the passion he holds for tropical rainforest environments becomes more apparent as he explained what he considers to be one of the most important aspects of the project.

“The protection of the rainforest environment and the diverse vegetation, insects, birds and animal wildlife within them is one of the important environmental challenges of our generation. Borneo has some of the most pristine and biologically diverse rainforests on Earth, but their existence is severely threatened by the obvious and immediate expansion of logging and palm oil operations.

“Many indigenous groups in Sarawak have similar cultural sites, not to mention outstanding areas of beautiful rainforest – and I hope the kind of multi-level project achieved in the Bario area could form a part of a new strategy for indigenous groups all over Borneo to protect and preserve their native lands, cultural heritage, rainforest areas and, indeed, generate income and employment through this kind of low impact sustainable development,” he said.

The climax of each expedition is a major jungle trek. In the Kelabit Highlands, the groups put both their physical fitness and jungle skills to test by undertaking a completely self-sufficient week-long trek to key landmarks.

So far, they have twice trekked from Bario to the summit of the famous Batu Lawi (2,050m) and from Bario to Long Lellang and, most impressively, conquered Sarawak’s highest peak – Mount Murud (2,424m) – on an epic eight-day trek.

Future directions

Trekforce is already planning two expeditions in 2012 as well as running a ‘Trainee Expedition Leader’ course and UK school biology trip.

“There is a great deal more that can be done both on this project and by spreading our expeditions into new areas,” Os said as he contemplates returning to Sarawak for a further year to reinforce the existing networks of jungle trails, connecting the cultural sites.

The new proposed areas for conservation are in Long Lellang and Pa’ Dalih.

“Despite the logistical difficulties and natural hazards of operating in such a remote location, I love the intense daily challenge of running these expeditions. This is a truly worthy and innovative conservation project, and to be quite honest, I have fallen in love with Sarawak – the people, the culture and the rainforest,” Os enthused.

At the same time, he plans to document the project in a detailed report for RKS and professor Poline (Unimas) with the hope that the authorities concerned could later help conserve and gazette the areas before leaving his adopted Bario to travel to other parts of Sarawak and Sabah and finally back to the UK.

Os hopes to visit, among others, the two world heritage sites – the Mulu Caves (in Sarawak) and Mount Kinabalu (Sabah) and returns home at the end of August.

“It will be very difficult to leave. The people of Sarawak have made us feel so welcome, helped us in so many ways, taught me so much and we have become good friends.

“Without the help, advice, guidance and friendship of people like Rian, the Raja family and councillor John Tarawe, our expeditions here and their success simply would not have been possible. I hope to be able to return to conduct further expeditions next year,” he said.

Among the locals actively involved in the project were Dr Philip Raja (consultant doctor), Laila Raja (transport logistic) Peter Raja (accommodation), Pastor Siwa and other local leaders.

Os also hopes the conclusion of the Trekforce expedition can spur other relevant groups to intensify their conservation and rehabilitation efforts as the cultural sites face common universal problems such as neglect, abandonment, exposure to the elements, collapse, remoteness and bulldozing for logging or access roads to longhouses.

According to the ITTO Report, most of sites are located within licensed timber areas.

Official reports from the Sarawak Museum quoted Hitchner (2007) as listing over 350 sites, consisting of menhirs (batuh sinuped), burial sites, nabang, old longhouse sites, batuh narit (engrave rocks), batuh baliu (curse stones), perupun, salt springs and sacred sites.

Further information on Trekforce can be found on their website www.trekforce.org.uk

Lorna raises RM1 mln in ‘Go Bald’ campaign

http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/06/26/lorna-raises-rm1-mln-in-%E2%80%98go-bald%E2%80%99-campaign/

Posted on June 26, 2011, Sunday

KUCHING: Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon, the wife of former deputy chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan yesterday finally managed to raise RM1 million for Sarawak Children Cancer Society’s (SCCS) ‘Go Bald’ campaign.


HELLO THERE: Lorna having a light moment with a patient at the child cancer unit of the Sarawak General Hospital yesterday. Earlier, Lorna had her head shaven. — Photo courtesy of Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon

Lorna raised around RM100,000 from her initial initiative, before eight donors comprising individuals and private companies donated RM50,000 each to the cause.

The donors included Datuk Shah Rukh Khan a popular Bollywood actor, Teo Aik King, TPR foundation, Tan Sri Ling Ching Ho, Datuk Wira Faisal of Naza Group of Companies, GLC Foundation, Andy Ang from Island Circle Development and Yong Foh Choi.

The biggest donor is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who on Saturday night approved a federal government allocation of RM500,000.

Lorna had written a letter to Najib relating her desire to come to the aid of SCCS. The prime minister responded by agreeing a matching grant to the total amount raised.

SCCS president Gary Ho who related this during a press conference here yesterday said the dream to collect RM1.5 million from the Go Bald campaign finally materialised with Lorna’s effort.

“The recent Go Bald campaign in Miri collected RM143,000 while the one in Kuching collected RM480,000. It is still way from our target.

“With RM500,000 raised by Lorna and another RM500,000 from Najib, the total amount will definitely bring much cheer to SCCS. Lorna’s effort has made SCCS dream come true,” said Ho.

Ho said that Lorna, who initially targeted RM100,000 for the ‘Go Bald’ campaign, changed her target to RM250,000 before settling at RM1 million.

Lorna went bald at the Sarawak General Hospital Children’s Cancer Ward yesterday. She was accompanied by Dr Chan in a private session shortly after spending their time with children at the ward.

Both Lorna and Dr Chan, however, were not present at the press conference.

The amount collected will be used to fund SCCS’ RM2.4 million new building at Taman Desa Wira which is expected to be completed in May next year.

Lorna: I’ve touched base with humility

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/6/26/sarawak/8977605&sec=sarawak

By YU JI yuji@thestar.com.my
Sunday June 26, 2011

KUCHING: Going bald for charity has been a “life-changing” experience for Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon, who has had long hair since she was two years old.

Speaking to The Star after shaving her head, the social worker was in good spirits, starting off talking about how she looked like a Shaolin monk.

“All I need is a yellow robe. But on a serious note, even after this, I can’t say I can ever fully understand what kids with cancer have to go through. But I feel so touched.


Source of courage: Lorna meeting a child in the Sarawak General Hospital before she shaved her head.

“They’ve given me courage. This experience has made me better. I’ve touched base with humility.”

Lorna said she did it because she believed understanding the plight of others was best learnt through personal experience.

“I really wanted to be with these children. I say it again and again that I cannot fully understand their emotional turbulence. I know, at the end of the day, I’m only shaving my head. I know that is a very different experience.”

Asked if she felt Malaysians were caring enough, she said she believed so.
“A lot of people do charity. I think it’s great. We must always remember to support one another.”

And how does being bald feel like?

“Good question! Well, so far people say I look younger. I’ve never had a bald head since I was a baby. But I don’t mind.”

For Naza Group chairman, Datuk Wira SM Faisal, who sponsored Lorna RM50,000, the work of cancer non-governmental organisations, like the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS), was especially meaningful.

His father, the founder of the company, died of lung cancer in May 2008.

“Any charity is good, but for today, I’m donating to SCCS because I truly believe in good cancer care for society’s most vulnerable,” Faisal told The Star.

“My own dad passed away at just 53 years old so I sort of understand how much cancer takes out of patients and their families.”

Children have amazing fighting spirit, Faisal said. All they need was care and love, and children would face cancer as well as any adult, he said.

“I’m really hoping to see the society’s centre when it is done. I want to see the playgrounds. My other wish is that maintenance is constantly carried out.”

Faisal was one of seven donors, who each pledged RM50,000 to Lorna’s donation drive.

Three weeks ago, Lorna announced her intention to join the wildly popular Go Bald event.

“Lorna and I are old family friends. Once we heard about her intention, there was no question we would chip in,” Faisal said.

Lorna’s other big donors include the Bollywood superstar Datuk Shah Rukh Khan, Teo Ah Khing Foundation, Tan Sri Ling Chiong Ho (Shin Yang Group executive chairman), GLC Foundation and Island Circle Development Sdn Bhd.

At a total of RM500,000, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pledged a ringgit-to-ringgit matching grant, doubling the amount.