2 Tanks Donated by KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden
2 tanks donated by KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden
In February 2005 two tanks were donated and installed by a group of engineering students from Swedish University. These tanks were valued at US$338 each. The tanks were brought to the houses of Mr Sahak and Puan Sumarni who had been selected to receive them.
The Participants in the project were:
- Alexander Ahne
- Claes Hellsten
- Daniel man
- Elin Engart
- Gustav Jansson
- Johan Lindstrm
- Johan Wikfors
- Johan Hgset
- Katarina Cristvall
- Lovisa Sundblad
- Maria Mattsson
- Mattias Olsson
- Maria Piwek
- Martin Somp
- Mikael Berg
- Niklas Lindvall
- Per Wall
- Petra Trnqvist
- Ronnie Hmlinen
- Sandra Gossas
- Teresia Engvall
- Tobias Lundberg
And Johanna Carlsson as the tour leader
As with any project, this project did not run entirely smoothly and there were several challenges.
The first challenge was with the tank fittings, as the tanks were shipped with the incorrect fittings. Fortunately our staff at Sukau Rainforest Lodge were able to get the correct parts from Sandakan before the project commenced.
Originally the students wished to help install these tanks at the respective houses. Unfortunately one of the houses was still being renovated, so the students were unable to install the tank during th
eir time here in Borneo.
The students were able to help with the installation of the water tank at the other house, however, it was only guttering that they were able to assist with as the stand built for the tank was made too high. Unfortunately this was only discovered on the day, so we were not able to be rectified this problem during the short time period the students had in Sukau.
Another problem encountered by this group was a language barrier, with the majority of the villagers in Sukau not being able to speak English. As a result the residents tended to avoid the tourists, which was miss interpreted as being unfriendly.
Many lessons have been learnt as a result of this project in the necessity of adequately preparing the site ahead of any planned projects, and getting explicit agreement from the recipients of the aid.
But in the final analysis, despite all the problems, this group of students were able to experience first had the difficulties associated with working in a remote region and have gained valuable experiences.
The villages of Sukau have been exposed to more tourists and lessons have been learnt about expectations that tourists have when using home stay. This will better prepare the local villagers for the next group of tourists that wish to stay in their homes.