Going Back In Time
The history of Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies or more fondly known as BEST Society go way back to 1995 when Borneo Eco Tours together with Sukau Rainforest Lodge took on their very first project in Sukau along the Kinabatangan River. Back then BEST Society was known as Sukau Ecotourism Research and Development Centre (SERDC).
After facing many successes and failures, SERDC transformed its vision to include greater sustainability in our initiatives. Thus, BEST Society was formed with a mission to empower communities through developing and supporting projects that navigate towards social entrepreneurship and empowerment. BEST Society was officially registered under the Societies Act 1966, in April 2007.
Vision
Empowering Communities
Mission
To engage, empower and elevate rural communities in Sabah by implementing sustainable development initiatives to improve livelihood and quality of life and to conserve nature for the next generation.
Our Objectives
BEST Society is a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering communities.
- Basic Needs – To interrupt poverty and dependency by raising funds to implement projects to improve health and hygiene in rural communities and provide the basic needs
- Capacity Building – To alleviate poverty by building capacity to promote and develop alternative employment and generate income in addition to traditional means of sourcing income
- Equality – To promote gender equality by providing job and training opportunities to empower women and young girls
- Modern Technology – To test and apply modern technologies and environmental management practices in a local setting and to provide economic model of sustainable development principles
- Social Enterprise – To foster and develop business knowledge in rural communities through technical assistance and leadership development programs to develop small enterprises through social entrepreneurship
- Partnership – To collaborate with other academic institutions, government agencies and NGOs and private sector organisations and leverage on their resources
- Environment – To rehabilitate and improve the degraded landscape and promote the conservation and preservation of the natural environment.
Our Team
We comprised of a dynamic group and are passionate about making a positive contribution to build stronger and resilient communities. The team here in BEST Society is supported by the staff from Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Together, we form strong bonds with individuals and partners who are strong-willed, driven and passionate to work towards the same vision and goal we hope to achieve.
Panel of Advisors
We take pride in our diverse Panel of Advisors to ensure we meet our goals and learn from the best practice across the organisation.
Awards
We are honoured to receive such prestigious awards in recognition of our contributions to the community.
Sustainable Development Goals
When the basis of our works is place alongside the notion of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, our roles become clearer.