By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 27: Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), DayakDaily, and Pertubuhan Wartawan Bebas Kuching (Pewarta) have come together for the fourth consecutive year to bring joy and educational resources to rural children in Tarat, Serian.
As part of the “Bless Rural Children with Books and Soft Toys” initiative, two DayakDaily journalists embarking on a 10-day D’Drift expedition for on-the-ground coverage and travel writing will deliver 1,052 books, along with 10 large bags and two big boxes of toys, to children in some remote rural areas.
Earlier today, Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, officially presented the books to D’Drift 2025 team leader, Marlynda Meraw, ahead of the team’s expedition from Feb 27 to March 8.
The donated books and toys will be officially handed over to Tarat assemblyman Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, who is also the Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD), on March 8, marking the conclusion of the D’Drift 2025 journey.
“I hope that by distributing these books, children in rural areas—who may have limited access to quality reading materials—will be excited to read them.
“Hopefully, this will foster greater interest in reading and a thirst for knowledge among them. In the long run, we hope to see more children from rural areas gaining better opportunities in life,” Abdul Karim said during the D’Drift flag-off ceremony.
DayakDaily launched its second-hand book collection campaign in 2022, successfully delivering over 1,000 books to SK Lusong Laku for Penan children.
In August 2023, the initiative continued with the handover of more than 1,000 storybooks and two large bags of soft toys to the Orang Ulu community in Ulu Belaga.
Last year’s March, during D’Drift’s journey to Ulu Baram, 1,340 books were transported to the Reading Corner at Long Latei, reinforcing DayakDaily’s ongoing commitment to supporting rural communities.
Also present were Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chairman Datuk Dennis Ngau; Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) deputy permanent secretary Desmond Douglas Jerukan; STB director of Stakeholder Relations, Mary Wan Mering; and Pewarta president Peter Sibon. – DayakDaily
