Meraki Daat Sabah Initiative

Meraki Daat is a nonprofit NGO is dedicated to the transformation of water villages into sustainable ecotourism hubs, achieved through education and empowerment of the water village communities. The initiative encompasses activities that include raising awareness, delivering education, and presenting solutions wherever feasible for proper waste management, environmental preservation, and the generation of sustainable income sources, including tourism.

Located just 7 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo lays the beautiful island Gaya home to whale sharks, green turtles, giant oysters, high end resorts with long sandy beaches and crystal blue waters, and… Kampung Lobong, one of the 4 water villages. This peaceful village is home to over 200 people, a mix of Malaysians and stateless residents who live as boatmen, fishermen, teachers and fall under the low income bracket. They do not have access to proper waste management and have to endure the tonnes of rubbish that come into their villages from the mainland.

It is our mission through our non profit partner Meraki Daat to turn this village into a tourist attraction, providing them a more sustainable source of income through various upskilling program including hydroponic farming, entrepreneurship and most importantly recycling. We are on the mission to create a circular economy for these 200 Bajaus one home at a time.

How do we fund it? 20% of our sales from the services and products will be channelled to their project fund. You can also donate directly at https://www.simplygiving.com/event/merakidaat or convert your sweat points into cash towards this fund.