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The author of this blog has been receiving donations for almost fifteen years in support of the projects he has undertaken among the Senoi people. Many donations have come from family and friends, as well as some larger donors who have supported his documentation work. Being mostly self-sufficient on the local crops, without paying rent or much on travel*, he is able to direct the most part of funds to any given project. (*An average trip to town costs a minimum £100, for hotel, food and diesel, not including car repairs.)

Any donations will be extremely appreciated, as the Senoi are now forced to live in a state of total poverty, since 90% of the natural food sources have disappeared due to the destruction of the forest by logging companies. Sometimes villagers go several days with nothing at all to eat and they need to dig up wild yams which are not very filling. Their planted manioc and rice has been trampled on for the last six years ever since the elephant rescue people have been dropping off nuisance animals in the Senoi areas (they also drop off tigers and leopards!). Wild animals such as langurs have fled far from logging areas and even wild boars, once very populous, have disappeared (believed poisoned in 2022, after many were found dead), not to mention that fish in the river, once a steady food source, have nearly all gone due to sanding. Thus, the Senoi in Kelantan, who are traditionally hunter-gatherer people, seldom see any meat these days.

Basically, they have been facing an ecological disaster in their region since the year 2000, fueled by affluent countries importing mahogany for their mansions, and no one seems to care about them at all! Of course, the story goes that the Senoi are well taken care of, obtaining free housing (in some places) and healthcare (imposed on them), but in reality, the real needs are not met, which include the safe-guarding of their forest from rampant exploitation - which they have been able to live off for thousands of years. Now they have to buy rice and they struggle to find any money to do so, waiting for the bi-annual benefits of US$100-300 per family.

The road to Pos Goob.
Each year they scrape the road, really nicely, until it rains...
After some rain the road returns to mud.
This was a notorious place to get stuck in mud.
Stuck in the mud near Pinchong.
The bridges, up until 2023, were hit and miss.
A bridge only for the brave to cross!
The bridges were made of logs with earth on top.
The bridges were repaired by the locals.
Finally, in 2022, they began some bridge construction.
Andnot a moment too soon!
The Taboh River near Pinchong gets a bridge!
A landslide near Pinchong!
And also the Kawood River at Pinchong.
People at Pinchong receive some food aid, in 2022.
The aid was purchased with UN SGP funding.
This food aid was sponsored by David's family, in 2023.
Solar pannels sponsored by Alianz4Good, in 2018.
Solar pannels sponsored by UN SGP, in 2020.
A pre-school funded by the Dr Bolton Memorial Fund, in 2020.
Children learn to write at Pinchong.
Children learn to write at Pinchong.
A Pinchong village motorbike, repaired in 2023.
A new motorbike at Pinchong, to provide for emergency transport.
Elephant trampling the rice fields, October 2020.
Deep holes left by elephant feet in the rice field.
Rice shoots eaten by elephants at Pinchong.
A flattened rice field, in February 2022.
A (tamed) elephant munches through the author's sugar cane, October 2024.
A manioc patch at Pinchong, flattened by elephants, in 2024.




To make a donation, you can use the form below (the form loads straight from donorbox and this site does not collect any data from it). Alternatively, you can send through Wise (no transaction fee) - just add the email address (dpquinton -at- proton.me) to your contacts.



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