Anywhere and everywhere Gerai OA will go ! 

If you want to see autumn in Malaysia, just head to Gua Musang, Kelantan before the seasonal March-May dry spell hits the area.

©2010-Suli

The russet-coloured trees (pic) are the Hevea brasiliensis trees or more commonly known as rubber trees.  Reita Rahim, the founder and coordinator of Gerai OA and I (the car volunteer whose duty during the pick-up trips is to drive and pack crafts) were treated to the beautiful autumn roadside scenery during our drive from Kuala Lumpur to Gua Musang using the Bentong route.

Our 4 1/2 hrs long drive (without stops) from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Betis via the Bentong route

Both of us were on our way to Kuala Betis, Kelantan, to be more specific, to meet up with the Temiar craftmakers.  The Temiar craftmakers are from Pos Tohoi and Kampung Peralong villages, about an hour, and half an hour away from the town of Kuala Betis respectively.

Reita and I had to meet the craftmakers at Kuala Betis because the villages aforementioned are only accessible via a logging trail from Kuala Betis onwards.  For this trip, we only had the service of a MyVi that is incapable of trekking through rough off-road conditions of an hour’s logging trail.

Elevyn’s first and only trip into Pos Tohoi and Kg Peralong was about 4 months ago, back in October 2009.  That trip was to seek free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) from the Temiar craftmakers to sell their products online on www.elevyn.com under Gerai OA online.

Elevyn promotes buying directly from the artisans but not all artisans especially from the more rural indigenous groups, are capable to sell directly online as yet.  Some of the more rural villages are handicapped through the lack of basic amenities like electricity and running water.  Other villages are quite difficult to access that it takes at least an hour from the nearest town to get in, notwithstanding the bad road conditions (i.e. sinkholes, uneven ruts, man-sized potholes, soft muddy dirt tracks just to name a few).  Even within a village, many of the artisans stay far apart from each other that it is quite challenging to get organised as a community group at the moment.

But through Gerai OA, volunteers go into the villages with Reita (some with 4WDs) to collect crafts from door to door; remit sales monies to the respective artisans and distribute over-the-counter medicines; and bring crafts back to Kuala Lumpur to be tagged, marketed and sold at rent-free sites.  Because the volunteers are not paid, 100% of the sales monies go back to the artisans at the end of the day.  This provides an avenue of income for the indigenous craftmakers while giving a tangible incentive to “revive and revitalize the Malaysian indigenous craft heritage (Reita Rahim, 2010)”.

With the Elevyn-Gerai OA collaboration, the indigenous groups can have access to the online market giving their crafts a wider access to buyers.  However, because Gerai OA still maintains its 100% sales monies go back to artisans policy, the Gerai OA shop on www.elevyn.com has to add an extra 15% on top of the product price to defray online charges.

All the indigenous craftmakers have previously agreed to sell their products under Gerai OA but for offline sales only.  Thus, the FPIC-ing for the Temiar craftmakers.  Reita and I spent 2 and 1/2 days at Pos Tohoi to meet all the craftmakers.

Temiar settlement at Pos Tohoi ©2009 - Suli

Reita Rahim (centre) and Aishah (right) gathering history about the settlement and stories of the crafts ©2009-Suli

We did Kampung Peralong on our way out in the late evening during a heavy downpour, in a traditional Temiar house made from split bamboo and in the dark, where the only source of light came from 2 oil lamps and 4 flashlights.

Elevyn managed to get the agreement of all the craftmakers at Pos Tohoi and Kampung Peralong to sell their items via www.elevyn.com /shop/geraioa.  Some of the Temiar craftmakers that have been selling their items online already are Jaja@Abong Atam, Saidi Osman, and Angah Anjang.

Back then, we had the help from GEC (Global Environment Centre) to loan their 4WD to send Reita and myself into and out of Pos Tohoi and Kg. Peralong, because they were also concurrently running a project within the area, which ended at the end of 2009.  It was also during that fateful trip that I, an ignorant city girl, was exposed to the adventures of living a rural life.  Having nothing to do on a sweltering hot day while waiting for our ride out of Pos Tohoi, I decided to wait out a pregnant hen, which has been clucking for the longest time ever since the day we arrived at the village, to lay her egg.  I think I was the source of amusement for the village (i.e. the mothers and children cooling off at their verandahs) as I ran to catch the freshly laid chicken egg that was tumbling down the baking hot zinc roof above the verandah of our host’s plank PPRT (the Malaysian Hard-Core Poor Development Programme) house.  The egg fell onto the grassy ground before I could catch it though but fortunately it did not crack.  Phew ! It ended up as a kid’s dinner later…

But I digress.

The first person to meet us at Kuala Betis was Aishah, our coordinator and our host from Pos Tohoi.  She came on her old faithful – a 2nd hand underbone motorcycle or locally known as kapchai – all covered with dirt from the logging trail with a giant bagful of crafts from her village strapped to her back and neck.  We quickly relieved her of her load and followed her to an Orang Asli transit point to meet the other craftmakers there.  As soon as I drove into the compound, a small entourage from Kg Peralong on their underbone motorcycles trailed in.

The small entourage from Kg. Peralong offloading their crafts at the transit point ©2010-Suli

Reita dealt with the craftmakers one by one, making a list of new crafts brought in, remitting the sales monies and paying the advance for the new crafts.

Reita looking at the pandanus baskets from Kg. Peralong ©2010-Suli

Aishah helping to sort and label the crafts from Kg. Peralong ©2010-Suli

Angah Anjang (60 yrs old) getting his sales monies ©2010-Suli

Angah Anjang looking at a screenshot of his "Bubu pacik/ked" that was sold off on www.elevyn.com ©2010-Suli

Reita and I also brought with us some donated items for the Temiar people.  There was a flurry of activity as soon as we opened the boxes as the people rushed to grab any clothes that could fit them or their children.

Picking out clothes and towels for themselves and their family ©2010-Suli

Special note: Thanks Kak Juliana Abdul Rahim  for all the donated items !

After dealing with the craftmakers at the transit point, all three of us – Aishah, Reita and myself – went out to a small warung (Malay roadside stall) to deal with the rest of the crafts from Pos Tohoi that Aishah brought with her.

Aishah with the crafts from Pos Tohoi in front of the warung ©2010-Suli

Two hours later, all sales monies were given to Aishah to be remitted to the respective craftmakers of Pos Tohoi and new crafts loaded into the Myvi for Elevyn and Gerai OA !

And off goes Aishah... ©2010-Suli

“The Temiar are the second largest goup within the Orang Asli, the indigenous minorities of Peninsular Malaysia. Reita Rahim (2010)”

Elevyn in Philippines Round-Up

Our journey in the Philippines began on 10th January 2010 in Manila, where we met up with the Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP), who work with communities in sustainable management of forest resources.

Sze Ning discussing the idea of selling online with the team from NTFP and CMCC

Alongside its marketing offshoot the CustomMade Crafts Center, our goal was to enable their lineup of products to be showcased on elevyn.com.

Introducing Elevyn to members of LASIWWAI

NTFP also recommended us to visit the T’boli indigenous group that they are working with. We departed a few days later to Lake Sebu to spend some time with Jenita, leader and founder of LASIWWAI (Lake Sebu Indigenous Women Weavers Association).

We had to walk up this stretch as the road conditions made it difficult to ascent

Here, we had an opportunity to witness life in the villages as we travelled around on a dirt bike across back-breaking, gravel-filled hilly roads.

Puerta Princessa, the capital city of Palawan

Our next stop was the pristine municipality of Palawan, widely regarded as one of the cleanest and most well-managed province in the Philippines.

Product photography session with the enthusiastic NATRIPAL crew

Here, we were introduced to NATRIPAL, an NGO working with local indigenous artisans in developing and marketing of pure wild honey and handmade crafts. Despite the tight schedule (our visit lasted only 3 days), NATRIPAL managed to launch their online shop on elevyn.com.

View of the Cordillera Central

Tasks completed, we took the chance to visit the northern region of the Philippines. The long, windy roads carved alongside the mountains were dangerous at times, but offered spectacular views of the hilly countryside.

The famous rice terraces of Banaue

Hiking in Sagada, a small town known for its beautiful caves, pine trees and hanging coffins

Baguio City, a youthful, bustling city thanks to its universities and colleges

Many thanks to all at NTFP, CMCC, NATRIPAL, LASIWWAI and the kind individuals (Nancy, Norli, Jenita and Manang Lily) who played gracious hosts to us. We wouldn’t have been able to experience all the remote wonders and the great indigenous communities of the Philippines without the guidance from you guys. Hope to see you all again soon!

Mabuhay, Philippines!

Update from Manila!

Elevyn’s expansion plans this year kicked off with a 3-week trip to our neighbours the Philippines.

We had initially made plans to meet up some organizations here back in October 2009 but Manila’s recent flooding forced us to postpone the trip.

So here we are now, absolutely knackered after a day-long meeting with our hosts the Non-Timber Forestry Products (NTFP) and its offshoot organization and potential online shop, the CustomMade Crafts Center (CMCC).

Things have been pretty good so far in Manila – the people are friendly, English is widely spoken, wifi is easily accessible and there’s McD’s, KFC and Starbucks just around the corner if we ever miss good old KL!

The meeting today was a good one. Both NGOs are very well organized, work well with the artisan communities and most importantly, have very interesting handmade crafts.

Besides Manila, our hosts have also graciously helped made our travel arrangements to visit several indigenous communities around the country. It’ll be interesting!

Best Gift Ever

Written by Kong Chin Tuan, captain of the 1 Malaysia team that made it to the Final of the Elevyn Futsal Tournament.

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Introduction

Fair Trade Futsal Tournament is a fund-raising futsal tournament put together to raise funds through a sporting event to help artisans in poverty. Why? Fair Trade is about recognizing the producers behind the items we use. It is about buying responsibly and saying no to sweatshop conditions, underpaid workers and child labour.
(Source: www.elevyn.com/futsal/)

1 Malaysia is a team comprising ordinary individuals with extraordinary humour and heart. The heartbeat of this multiracial team is in the likes of M.L. Chai, H.L. Cheng, C.T. Kong, Mohd Al Hazim, Surya, C.H Tan, T.H. Tan & Diksha.

Short of some of their full team members, these individuals were reunited on this eventful and memorable day, 29th Nov 2009 after more than 6 months of NOT playing on the same pitch together.

1 Malaysia got into this tournament via an invitation by a kind and caring lady by the name of S.L. Khing. 1 Malaysia’s main objective was to ‘fair-play’ and be charitable. Little did the team know that they were going to progress to a place higher beyond expectations.

A Sorry End For A Terrific Beginning

Many might think that 1 Malaysia must be a happy team, to have won the silver medals despite not having played together for at least half a year. Deep down in my heart, it was the bond of team that made me and probably us happier than the medals did.

Team 1 Malaysia

What happened? In the first group match against SOLS Blue Lions, it was the final seconds of the match. 1 Malaysia had clawed back from a goal down and was now leading 3-1. A wonderful pass comes to Al Hazim’s legs. He turns free of his marker and readies a shot. And BOOM!! 4-1. Unfortunately came the follow through by the defender and SNAP!! Al Hazim’s ankle gave way under his whole body weight. A substitution was made and as soon as the kick-off was taken, PHWEET!! The game was over. 1 Malaysia won 4-1 but lost the player who scored a hattrick in the 1st game.

Hazim's swollen ankle

After that game, our minds were no longer on the tournament. Hazim was at the bench, agonizing in pain. St. John Ambulance volunteers were busy working on his foot, with the wrong ointments. So, Diksha and me, ex St. John cadets ourselves took over and gave the young cadets some advice. Maybe they just panicked a little, as it was the first case of the day. Soon Hazim was on his way to the University Hospital with the company of T.H. Tan. At that, the team that started off with 8 was now down to 6.

The Game Must Go On

We watched blankly at the other matches’ going on around us, each silently hoping that everything is well. Once in a while, we would call over to check the status of our poor friend. The next game was coming up. Hazim was still waiting his turn at the hospital. It seems T.H. Tan will not be back in time for the game. We restructured and re-gathered our spirits. We can’t let our friends down after such a great start. H.L. Cheng upped his game and 1 Malaysia beat Youth Asia 3-0. As soon as the final whistle went, we were on the phone again to check on our friend.

Hazim was receiving inspection and treatment. Good news finally came but not without some bad ones too. Hazim was cleared to leave hospital. 1 Malaysia only needed a draw to go through to the next stage as group leaders. The bad news is, there was only 10 minutes left before our next match. M.L. Chai was ready to go fetch them from the hospital. T.H. Tan may have sacrificed his best chance of playing in the tournament, being one of our weaker players. A tough decision to continue without them was made. 1 Malaysia drew 0-0 with Crazy Gang and was through to the knockout stage.

As soon as the game was over, the entire team sped off to the hospital. Talk about team spirit. That was one true example. Got there, fooled around a bit and we were soon back at the Challenger Sports Center. Grabbed our lunch and got ready for the next stage that we never expected to arrive at. Other teams we already seen warming up on the courts. Our next opponents were SOLS 24/7.

May The Best Team Win

That game was a thriller. SOLS 24/7 went a goal up, we got back at them. Again they went ahead, and again we got back at them. It was a non-stop action game that got the crowd on the edge of their seats. The game ended 2-2.

All eyes were set as the penalty takers got ready. SOLS 24/7 first spot kicker put the ball at the back of the net. I was up next. Calmly setting up the ball, a short run and GOAL!! 1-1. Their next kicker got ready and took his kick. Our goalkeeper, Surya dived to the right direction and managed to keep the ball out. H.L. Cheng made it 2-1 for us and their last player also managed to score. The pressure was on Diksha but he brought us to the next round with his well-taken penalty. We were overjoyed.

HL Cheng Taking His Spot Kick

We were through to the semis. CLC FC was the next team against us. We stuck with our game plan, which was to win no matter what as we have already gotten so far. Both teams were in search for a sole goal and to defend thereafter. We tested them as much as they tested us. Soon came an opportunity at a counter attack and we did not waste it. 1 Malaysia won again and this time the score line was 1-0. IT WAS THE FINALS. WE WERE THROUGH TO THE FINALS. This has been an awesome experience thus far regardless of what have happened.

However, our shortcomings surfaced evidently in the Finals against Maxis. They were the better team. Our depleted 1 Malaysia team was well-beaten 4-0. We still stood tall and shook their hands in the spirit of Fair Play and friendship. We congratulated them on their victory and held our heads high on our own achievements.

Team 1 Malaysia with their silver medals and sponsored gifts.

1 Malaysia team will always stay in my memory as the Best Birthday Gift Ever. Not the medals, the vouchers from PushMore or BEyoga, nor the gift basket from Starbucks. But the knowledge of a multiracial friendship well bonded through thick and thin.

Dedicated to the 1 Malaysia Team…
From the Birthday Boy,
C.T. KONG

Elevyn Futsal Tournament – Roundup

Students and teachers from SOLS turned the event into an awesome party!

It was a noisy carnival of cheers, drums, songs and dance as 24 teams took to the courts in Elevyn’s inaugural Fair Play for Fair Trade Futsal Tournament held at the Challenger Sports Centre in Petaling Jaya today.

The event was held to raise funds and awareness to support poor artisans that Elevyn works with on www.elevyn.com.

A total of 16 men’s and 8 women’s teams battled each other in their respective group games held in the morning session. The top 2 in each group would qualify to the knock-out rounds.

The day kicked off with a warm-up session conducted by PushMore, who put up two teams in both Men’s and Women’s categories.

When the group games started, they were thick, fast and furious, as players soaked in the energetic atmosphere and put in their best performances.

Heart-break for Crazy Gang (red) in the Quarterfinals as they were edged out on penalties by GanForHire (blue)

In the Women’s category, favourites SIB (A) beat PushMore in a heart-pounding penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in full time. SIB (B) took third by defeating Starbucks in the 3rd/4th tie.

The Men’s category saw Maxis FC romp to the title with ease, winning every game with an average 4-goal margin. They defeated 1Malaysia 4-0 in the Final.

Maxis FC had, however, came perilously close to crashing out in the semi-finals after going 2-0 down against GanForHire AllStars, before rebounding to win 3-2. GanForHire eventually finished third while CLC FC took fourth.

Partner Yoga demo from BEyoga

During lunch-break, players were mesmerized with an amazing display of balance, strength and flexibility with a partner yoga demonstration by Ninie Ahmad and Azmi Samdjaga from BEyoga.

“I think the tournament turned out really well. Everybody went home with an experience to remember”, said tournament organizer and Elevyn co-founder Mike Tee. “In fact, things went so smoothly that we were able to schedule matches AHEAD of time to minimize waiting between games. We managed to finish the tournament at 3pm, more than 2 hours earlier!”

“It was great to see teams from such diverse backgrounds getting together having so much fun and played in such good spirits. Forget artificial slogans – sports is the one thing that can truly break barriers!” Mike added.

A special mention goes out to the students and teachers from the Science of Life Systems (SOLS), who travelled all the way from Malacca in the morning. Their noisy, boisterous cheering and drum-beating turned the tournament into an infectious samba carnival.

A warm note to our volunteers Eileen Chiang, Stanley Sridas, Jonathan Cheah and Jesse Wong – thanks for the support! Also to Amy Tan, Sharanjeet & Shafie for the pre-event assistance. It’d be impossible to run the event without you guys.

Lastly – a big thank you to all our sponsors: Starbucks, Spritzer, PushMore, BeYoga, Ureka Ideas and KLue. Not forgetting the individual sponsors, namely Dr Yeoh Seng Guan, Ms Puah Ser Sze and Mr David Chiam.

We hope to see everyone again in next year’s edition!

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What did you think of the event? How can we do things better and take this further? Give us your thoughts!

Photos and results will be published once we’ve sorted them out… over 1,500 photos in all. Wait for announcements here!

Know The Team: Mang Tha

Mang Tha is one of the very interesting teams that will be participating in the tournament. The female team is made up of members and artisans from the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR), an NGO that provides shelter and empowerment opportunities for Burmese refugees in Malaysia. We speak to Programme Coordinator Elodie on the team.

Note: Mang Tha also runs a shop on elevyn.com – check it out!

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Q: What do you know of the concept of “fair trade”?

A: Fairtrade is an alternative approach to conventional trade and is based on a partnership between producers and consumers. Fairtrade offers producers a better deal and improved terms of trade. This allows them the opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future.

Fairtrade offers consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through their every day shopping.This price ensures that producers can cover their average costs of sustainable production. It acts as a safety net for farmers at times when world markets fall below a sustainable level. Without this, artisans are completely at the mercy of the market.

In addition to the Fairtrade price, there is an additional sum of money, called the Fairtrade Premium or Social Cause on Elevyn website.  This money goes into a communal fund for workers to use to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.

The use of this additional income is decided upon democratically by artisans within the womens’ organization, Mang Tha. The premium or social cause is invested in education and healthcare according to the level of emergency.

As many projects funded by the premium are communal, the broader community, outside the producer organization often benefits from Fair trade.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your team, and the event objective for the players.

A: Our team will be composed by women leaders, artisans, teachers and learners. Time to be all together in a same time! This event came at a time the women members needed to be encouraged and recognized. We want to use this opportunity to strengthen our group and identity as a social enterprise.

Q: How well are you guys preparing for the tournament?

A: So excited, and we are smiling, laughing inside in thinking about it!

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Thanks Elodie, we’re very excited too!

Elevyn Futsal Tournament – Match Schedules

3 days to go!

Here’s the Schedule of Matches (15KB, PDF) for the tournament, starting at 9am. Registration counter opens at 8am – it is COMPULSORY for all team captains to sign-in to collect your team’s goodie bag!

At 8.30am, there will be a warm-up session conducted by PushMore. Group games start at 9.00am.

During the lunch break, teams get a chance to do some stretching to warm up (for the knock-out games) or cool down, thanks to BEyoga.

Please note that the 2 Women’s Groups have been renamed to Group X and Group Y for easier identification. Men’s Categories remain as Group A, B, C & D.

Know The Team: SIB

Samuel Kading is the manager of two women’s teams (SIB A & B) that will be participating. Let’s find out more about them!

Q: Tell us a little bit about your team, and the event objective for the players.

A: We are bringing two female teams made up of players from our youth fellowship in church (Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) @ Evangelical Church of Borneo) and college students from Masterskills University College Malaysia.

Q: How well are you guys preparing for the tournament?

A: We play among our church members practically every Sunday evening.

Q: Any words to the other teams participating?

A: Enjoy the game!

Know The Team: Youth Asia

Youth Asia is an innovative social enterprise unlike any other – utilizing online media for youth empowerment to drive change. The good folks will be sending TWO teams to grace the tournament, in both Men’s and Women’s categories.

We speak to Lina Halim to find out more.

Q: What do you know of the concept of “fair trade”?

It’s really no surprise to hear people not knowing where the stuff their purchase came from – was it made in a factory by machines or well-paid factory workers or by children.

Fair trade is a good thing. When you don’t purchase sweatshop condition products, you don’t support it. And hopefully, bit by bit in the future, sweatshop conditions and child labor will be eradicated.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your team, and the event objective for the players.

We can pretty much say the YouthAsia team consists of members from very different walks of life — each of them pretty much belong to different generations but it just shows that we all support the same cause regardless of age.

Q: How well are you guys preparing for the tournament?

Each of us have hectic schedules but we try to make time to actually train a little

Q: Any words to the other teams participating?

Good luck and have a good game

Elevyn Futsal Tournament – Group Draw

Group Draw and Briefing Session

Group Draw Results!

16 men’s teams in 4 groups, and 8 women’s teams in 2 groups. Here are the groupings:

Women’s Category

• Group X: Starbucks, SIB B, Youth Asia, Mang Tha
• Group Y: SIB (A), SOLS Unity Girls, Pushmore, MMIG

Men’s Category

• Group A: SOLS 24/7 FC, Pushmore, GanForHire All Stars, ACR FC
• Group B: SOLS Samba FC, Maxis FC, CLC FC, Ureka Ideas
• Group C: SOLS Blue Lions, 1 Malaysia, Crazy Gang, Youth Asia
• Group D: SOLS United, Hyundai, Motion Balls, Oracle Reds

See you all on the 29th! Train well, have fun and play fair.

Photos of the briefing and draw session are available on our Facebook Event page.