10/05/2026

NATIONAL 4 theSun on Sunday MAY 10, 2026

Hardship fuels teen’s determination to succeed

Trash Hero Kuching leads fight against littering KUCHING: For most people, a Saturday morning at Kuching Waterfront means a leisurely stroll, coffee with friends or a quick jog overlooking the Sarawak River. However, for a growing group of volunteers armed with gloves, litter pickers and rubbish bags, it has become a weekly mission to keep the city clean, one piece of trash at a time. In less than an hour during a recent clean-up at the Old Court House near the waterfront, volunteers from Trash Hero Kuching collected 19kg of rubbish, including cigarette butts, plastic cups, food wrappers, bottles and other single-use waste. Trash Hero Kuching leader Shahrul Izhar said the movement was born out of a simple frustration shared by a few friends who frequently encountered rubbish while exercising around the city. “You want to enjoy the environment, but everywhere you look, there is trash. It hurts the beauty of the place and stray cats and dogs end up eating from the rubbish,” he told Bernama recently. Shahrul, a civil servant, said the group first started in June 2023 with only three people cleaning up around the Kuching Civic Centre area, without any major plans or expectations at the time. “Every Saturday, just two friends and I spend only an hour cleaning up, yet the amount of rubbish we collect never fails to shock us. We once collected up to 100kg of rubbish within an hour at Pasir Panjang Beach in Santubong,” he said. Shahrul shared that some clean-up programmes now attract as many as 100 volunteers through collaborations with Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara and institutions including universities. Beyond picking up rubbish, the Kuching native said the group also hopes to educate the public on the importance of waste reduction and avoiding single-use plastics. “We clean, we educate and we change. Through social media and our activities, we want people to realise that everyone has a role in protecting the environment,” he said. Despite growing support, Shahrul hopes more people, especially youths, will continue stepping forward to volunteer, even if only for an hour every weekend. Co-leader Dr Brian Sim Mong Huat, 33, said many people are unaware of the amount of waste in public spaces until they take part in a clean-up themselves. For Brian, the activity has become more than just volunteer work, describing the weekly clean-ups as therapeutic and rewarding, especially when seeing immediate results after clearing heavily littered areas. “People may think a place looks clean, but once you start paying attention, you realise there is rubbish everywhere,” said the doctor from Sarawak General Hospital. He said the most commonly collected items are cigarette butts, plastic cups, takeaway containers and food packaging, reflecting the growing problem of single use waste in public spaces. What began as a small initiative among friends has since grown into one of Kuching’s most active environmental volunteer movements, attracting students, government agencies, villages and private companies. – Bernama

Student hopes academic success can help ease burden of parents battling health problems

Four, I never scored an A in Mathematics. After joining this programme, combined with my own effort and guidance from teachers, I eventually improved my performance and achieved better results in SPM,” she said. Raja Intan said she had received an offer to further her studies at Perlis Matriculation College in accounting and had also been called to attend an interview at the Institute of Teacher Education campus in Physical and Health Education. She added that the incentive received would be utilised as best as possible to prepare for her studies and purchase necessities. The Cikgu Saarani Tuition programme, introduced in 2010, has helped 250 students pursue studies in professional fields including medicine, engineering, the military and various other careers. Meanwhile, the Perak Menteri Besar Scholarship, introduced in 2019, has benefited 7,627 students sitting for the SPM, STPM and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia examinations, involving allocations exceeding RM8.12 million. The programme is expected to continue inspiring youths in Perak to achieve greater success while strengthening efforts to produce a knowledgeable and competitive generation capable of contributing to the state’s future.

IPOH: Witnessing his parents struggle with health problems over the past few years has become the driving force for 18-year-old A. Divesh to excel academically and change his family’s circumstances for a better future. The former student of SMJK San Min said he realised that only through education could he secure better employment opportunities and help ease his family’s burden. “My father, C. Anbarasan, 51, who previously worked as an assistant manager at an entertainment centre in Genting Highlands, had to stop working in 2021 after being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, while my mother, Ooi Paik Luan, 47, who worked at a hotel in the same area, retired early in 2019 after suffering a stroke. “I turned these hardships into a source of strength to continue studying hard so that I can change my family’s fate one day,” he told Bernama after the Perak menteri besar’s meet-and-greet session with outstanding students of the Cikgu Saarani Tuition Programme on Thursday. Earlier, Divesh was among 36 outstanding students under the Cikgu Saarani Tuition programme and the Perak Menteri Besar Scholarship who received special incentives totalling

RM36,000 at the event officiated by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad. The younger of two siblings, who scored 8A+, 1A and 1A- in the 2025 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, also said he had received an offer to further his studies at Gopeng Matriculation College and was awaiting several other suitable offers. Asked about the incentive received, Divesh described it as a form of appreciation that would be put to good use in preparing for his studies and other necessities. Meanwhile, Raja Intan Irdyna Raja Idzwan, 18, who obtained 8As in the SPM examination, said the Cikgu Saarani Tuition programme had been one of the catalysts for her success by helping improve her understanding of subjects and boosting her confidence in examinations. The former student of SMK Raja Permaisuri Bainun said the step-by-step learning approach implemented in the programme made it easier for her to understand subjects she had previously found difficult, while also providing opportunities to share knowledge with other students. “For example, when I was in Form

Retiree turns coconut husks into thriving business TANAH MERAH: For most people, coconut husks are merely waste that is burned or discarded, but for a retiree in Kampung Batu Hitam, they are viewed as “gold” capable of generating substantial income through the modern agricultural industry. Armed with experience and knowledge gained while serving at the National Kenaf and Tobacco Board, Wan Zamri Wan Ya, 61, has successfully transformed coconut husks into high-quality planting medium products now in high demand across Peninsular Malaysia.

Wan Zamri said he began working on coconut husk-based products nearly nine years ago after recognising the strong potential of the waste material in the agriculture and ornamental plant sectors. “Now, I produce two main products, namely coconut coir dust (cocopeat) for fertigation crops and chopped coir for the flower plant industry. “I see this industry is still underdeveloped in Kelantan even though demand is high because previously many entrepreneurs sourced coconut husk products from Thailand to be used as planting medium,” he told Bernama recently. The former assistant economic affairs officer said the idea of producing coconut husk-based products initially arose from his wife’s gardening needs before attracting interest from friends who also wanted to use the gardening medium. “From there, I realised this business opportunity was huge, especially in Kelantan because not many people are seriously involved in it,” he said. According to Wan Zamri, the use of coconut husk dust and chopped husks

Wan Zamri (right) said he is able to process about two tonnes of coconut-husk products a month. – BERNAMAPIC

Wan Zamri added that he is currently able to process about two tonnes of coconut-husk products a month, selling coconut husk dust at RM12 for 70 litres and shredded husk at RM25 for 105 litres. “I don’t sell by the kilogramme because the coir has different moisture levels, whether dry or wet,” he added.

helps retain soil moisture, has high water absorption capacity and is suitable as organic fertiliser to reduce farming costs. He said demand for his products continues to grow and they are now marketed throughout Peninsular Malaysia, with supplies of coir sourced from local coconut farmers.