A five-hour houseboat journey into the heart of Royal Belum brought students from Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak (UniKL RCMP) face-to-face with one of Malaysia’s remote indigenous communities.
The journey turned a university outreach mission into an experience of service, learning, and cultural understanding.
From 11 to 13 September 2026, Mindspire, the Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Honours) Student Club of UniKL RCMP, collaborated with Malaysia Relief Agency (MRA) Perak to conduct a University Social Responsibility (USR) programme at Kampung Bongor, Sungai Kejar, Royal Belum, Gerik, Perak.
Organised in conjunction with National Month and Mental Health Awareness initiatives, the programme focused on community wellbeing, social inclusion and meaningful engagement with the Jahai Orang Asli community.
Kampung Bongor is located deep within the Royal Belum area, near the Malaysia–Thailand border and the headwaters of the Perak River.
Its remote location meant participants had to travel about five hours by houseboat to reach the settlement.
The Jahai are among Malaysia’s indigenous Negrito communities and are predominantly found in northeastern Perak and parts of Kelantan.
Their traditional way of life remains closely connected to the surrounding forest, with livelihoods historically involving fishing, hunting and the gathering of forest resources.
The community’s traditional ecological knowledge also reflects a longstanding relationship with Royal Belum’s natural environment and biodiversity, highlighting the importance of indigenous knowledge in the wider conversation on environmental conservation and sustainable development.
During the three-day mission, UniKL RCMP students and collaborators carried out basic health screenings, recreational and community activities, as well as the distribution of lunch and dinner.
Rice and other essential food supplies were also contributed to families in the village, extending practical support to the community while strengthening relationships established through earlier outreach programmes.
The 2026 mission continued UniKL’s engagement with the community following previous initiatives, including an outreach programme in 2024 involving UniKL, MRA Perak and Yayasan Hasanah.
That collaboration helped improve basic infrastructure at the settlement through solar-powered electricity, Starlink internet connectivity and a gravity-fed clean water piping system.
Beyond delivering assistance, the latest outreach provided UniKL students with first-hand exposure to the realities of communities living in geographically isolated areas.
Direct interaction with the Jahai community encouraged participants to better understand issues surrounding access, wellbeing, cultural diversity and the different social environments that shape people’s lives.
For psychology students in particular, the programme extended learning beyond the classroom by exposing them to the importance of empathy, cultural sensitivity, interpersonal communication and community-based engagement.
Such experiential learning contributes to the development of socially responsible graduates who are able to understand human behaviour within diverse cultural and socioeconomic settings.
The initiative contributes particularly to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-Being through basic health screening and well-being activities, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities by supporting an underserved indigenous community.
It also aligns with SDG 4: Quality Education through experiential student learning, SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy through the continuation of earlier infrastructure initiatives, as well as SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals through collaboration between UniKL, MRA Perak and community partners.
