Sabahan wins award for building project
Published on: Thursday, September 07, 2023
By: Lorena Binisol
The land identified for the new building as collection centre in Kampung Tulid.
Kota Kinabalu: Local social enterprise community leader Mary Jim won an IB Award (Inclusive Business Model and Best Practices Award) in Bali, Indonesia recently.
It was organised by Ministry of Corporation and SMEs, Indonesia and supported by Asean Secretariat United Nations Economy and Social Commission for Asia and
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The Pacific (ESCAP) for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
She was nominated by SMECorp Malaysia under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative.
“IB Award is an inclusive Business Model and Best Practices presented at Asean level.
Mary receiving her award for Best Social Enterprise Initiative for Community in Bali.
Each year Asean member states would nominate an IB company with the most outstanding efforts in promoting inclusive growth.
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The award presentation was held during the Gala Dinner Sixth Asean Inclusive Business Summit at Mulia Resorts and Villas Bali, Indonesia.
Mary won via the business model she initiated for community in Kg Tulid, Keningau. Mary was grateful with her achievement which empowered the community at large, particularly Pensiangan and Keningau.
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“It is all about empowering community. This project encourages the people to continue growing herbs, hence building a collection centre to ease several villages involved.
The new building for the community in Kg Tulid will soon serve as a collection centre for seven villages - Kipaliu, Lanas, Batu Lunguyan, Nandagan, Sinua, Sinaron and Mansiat.
They started off with just 25 women, but today the number had grown.
“We provide them solutions they need in empowering them to move forward,” said Mary.
The project received RM380,000 from SMECorp Malaysia under Kuskop.
In Sept 2021, Mary under her social enterprise LumaMUS together with a few NGOs, University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF), IBS (institute of Borneo Studies) Sabah Women Entrepreneurs of Excellence Association (Sawena) and Sabah Social Entrepreneurs & Eco Development (Seed) frequently visited the project site at Kg Tulid.
The community was taught how to grow herbs, dry them and store at right place and temperature.
“I want to help the community especially the youngsters, providing an avenue for them to send their herbs to be processed and kept.”
Five herb ingredients were identified - ginger, lemon grass, Tuhau, Kantan and Perilla, among the community’s plants on a large scale.
“LumaMUS is the enabler and industry partner.
At the centre we do crafted work, more of product branding, positioning, blending and lastly QA (quality assurance) and QC (quality control).
That’s our main task here. I called it holistic approach,” she said.
There is growing demand for herbs especially from Borneo.
“Pakistan has high demand for Mulberry leaves from Sabah,” she said.
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