Battling Desperation: Volunteers Provide Water and Shelter to Stateless Villages in Sabah, Malaysia

A child growing up in a stilt house above the muddy, garbage-strewn seawater. | Photo courtesy of Tzu Chi Foundation | Stateless Village, Sabah, Malaysia

In the Sabah region of Malaysia, it is estimated that there are currently 2 million stateless people living in garbage dumps by the sea or adjacent to landfills. Most of them belong to the Suluk or Bajau ethnic groups, who have long lived along the coasts between Sabah in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In the 1970s, turmoil in the Philippines forced them to seek refuge in Sabah. Despite the extremely harsh living conditions, their population has not diminished but grown. Locals refer to their settlements as "stateless villages."

Surviving on Restaurant Leftovers, Living Among Trash

In the Nabawan area of Sabah’s stateless villages, many residents rely on leftover food from restaurants. They live on the garbage-filled coast or near easily flammable landfills. This area is one of the poorest regions for stateless residents in Sabah.

Residents of the stateless villages collect garbage to make a living. | Photo courtesy of Tzu Chi Foundation | Stateless Village, Sabah, Malaysia

Tzu Chi volunteers began caring for the stateless villages in 2003, when they responded to a fire incident in the Titingan area. This marked the start of their efforts to aid the impoverished stateless communities. In the poorest area of Nabawan, children visit nearby restaurants every day, bring pots and pans to collect leftover food to be discarded by restaurants, which they then take home as meals for their families.

The only possessions stateless villagers have are pots, kettles, and water containers hung on bamboo poles, along with their precarious stilt houses. | Photo courtesy of Tzu Chi Foundation | Stateless Village, Sabah, Malaysia

Easing Suffering with Supplies and Water Stations

The problems in stateless villages are deeply complex and difficult to resolve at the root. Tzu Chi volunteers provide as much material assistance as possible, offering essentials like cassava flour, cooking oil, pots, kettles, and lights.

Despite the complex issues, Tzu Chi volunteers do their best to help residents through the supply distributions. | Photo courtesy of Tzu Chi Foundation | Stateless Village, Sabah, Malaysia

The local water supply is only available for a few hours each day, forcing residents to buy drinking water. To alleviate this, Tzu Chi volunteers have set up seven water stations across three areas. Each station can provide drinking water for 50 to 100 households, helping villagers save money that would otherwise be spent on water.

The water stations set up by Tzu Chi volunteers provide free clean water to the residents. | Photo courtesy of Tzu Chi Foundation | Stateless Village, Sabah, Malaysia

In addition, volunteers provide tools and basic materials for residents to repair their fragile homes. Some people live in boat houses so dilapidated that family members must take turns bailing out water each night to prevent the boat from sinking before morning.