Samsung remains committed in helping the people of Kampung Ulu Tual by revamping infrastructures, improving locals’ health and providing education for all.
It all began in 2015 when Samsung Malaysia Electronics first set foot in Kampung Ulu Tual in Kuala Lipis, located in the eastern state of Pahang, for its community outreach initiative. Kampung Ulu Tual, a 3-hour drive from Malaysia’s bustling capital, is a village adopted by Samsung under its corporate citizenship banner. Samsung volunteers were reminded of the true meaning of friendship and teamwork after spending some time with the locals working to improve the infrastructure of the village, teaching them the learning tools of Samsung tablets, and immersing themselves in the village culture.
At that time, the initiative was known as the Nanum Village effort under the brand’s Hope for Tomorrow community building campaign. ‘Nanum’ means sharing in the Korean language and this fits perfectly with Samsung’s unwavering commitment to continue sharing meaningful innovations to sustain social development and support underserved communities all over the globe.
The first local mission took place two years ago where the indigenous community of Kampung Ulu Tual greeted all 56 Samsung volunteers with generous hospitality, warm smiles and captivating traditional performances. Their faces were beaming with excitement and villagers ‘crowned’ some volunteers with beautiful headgears decorated with colourful flowers and made of palm tree leaves as welcome gifts. Prior to this, the village had no access to a proper source of electricity since it is located in a secluded area. Samsung looked beyond the usual food and household supplies donation and decided to install solar panels to improve their electricity supply and Samsung refrigerators at their Pusat Didikan Komuniti (PDK) for the villagers so they can enjoy the facilities like a common household would. Samsung volunteers also helped the locals to repair their huts, ensuring that the villagers have decent everyday shelters from the rain or sun.
Kampung Ulu Tual’s Community Learning Center or Pusat Didikan Komuniti (PDK) has two full-time teachers stationed there to provide education to the children, and the hall would sometimes be used for other community-related activities. The presence of good electricity supply in the village paved way for the children to learn in a much more fun and engaging way. Samsung donated Smart TV, Galaxy Tab pre-loaded with fun educational contents and books for the children to turn the dream of education into reality. Samsung volunteers eagerly tutored the children on how to use the tablets and the pre-loaded apps during educational activities. A signage for the PDK was also raised as part of its community service.
The memories made in 2015 were so heartening that Samsung returned to improve the village and doubled their investment for the same mission the following year. Samsung volunteers participated and worked closely with the locals to improve the village by installing additional solar panels and lights, therefore improving the village’s electricity supply. To ensure that the villagers continue to have access to decent basic living necessities, Samsung donated food, homecare, sports and educational supplies. In addition to that, Samsung targets to prepare young villagers for their future academic achievements by teaching them the English language, therefore giving them the opportunity to master an additional language before they embark on the next step of their educational journey.
Samsung is set to return to Kampung Ulu Tual once more under the Samsung Love & Care Programme, a re-brand of Samsung Nanum Village initiative, to bring more improvements to its growing community. Samsung hopes that the Samsung Love & Care Programme will be a source of inspiration for more corporations to step up and help those communities in need and improve livelihoods to create a brighter and more sustainable future.
