19 June 2026

By ~ Sanny Mok


Joining Hands over land & Sea (SK Malawa Kota Kinabalu Joint Project)



On June 19, 2026, IWC Pearl of the Orient, Penang, together with the IWC of Kota Kinabalu, successfully completed a cross-district educational project at Sekolah Kebangsaan Malawa, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Driven by a deep passion for children and education, this collaborative venture brought the core mission of Inner Wheel—“Reach & Inspire for a Better World”—across land and sea.

With 500 out of the school’s 2,100 total students currently registered on school aid, the rendered assistance was timely and sorely needed. The joint project beautifully blended technical classroom infrastructure advancements with crucial student welfare updates, cultural preservation, and warm community fellowship.

The visiting Inner Wheel delegation comprising NR 330/331 Datin Gillian Lee, D331 DISO Datin Rubina, President Margaret Awang, Organizing Chairperson (DW 330) Merlin Gasper & their members were warmly greeted and escorted by the school leadership team, including Encik Mazlan bin Osman (Headmaster), Encik Yusuf Matusin (AJK Tertinggi PIBG), and the school’s dedicated teaching staff.

The group was first escorted to the specialized Kadazan-Dusun Language Room to view firsthand how the newly donated Smart TV has been actively integrated into daily teaching. Following this, they toured the school Dewan to view an incredible exhibition of student-crafted creative replicas of traditional musical instruments, an array of work that thoroughly amazed all the visitors.

Following an opening welcome speech by Headmaster Encik Mazlan, OC Merlin Gasper and President Margaret Awang delivered an inspiring joint address to the students, faculty, and guests.

The highly anticipated school cultural finals then got underway. Mulen Berimbun from the IWC POTO delegation was invited to serve as one of the three official panel judges evaluating the talented student finalists across the day’s core cultural competitions.

Contributions by IWC Pearl of the Orient, Penang:

• RM 1,000.00 toward the shared cost of the new classroom Smart TV.
• Provided all 24 competition prizes for the student winners.
• Gifted 240 pairs of brand-new school socks.
• Donated RM 500.00 directly to the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) fund, presented to Encik Yusuf Matusin.
• Hosted the warm fellowship breakfast bringing together the school headmaster, PIBG leadership, and all visiting Inner Wheel members.

Contributions by IWC of Kota Kinabalu:

• RM 1,000.00 toward the shared cost of the classroom Smart TV.
• Provided 200 items of brand-new clothing from Padini Outlet.

The project successfully deployed targeted support designed to enhance daily classroom interaction while bringing much needed clothing essentials to the students.

• Classroom Modernization: In response to an active appeal from the school’s specialized Kadazan-Dusun Language Room, a joint funding allocation of RM 2,000.00 was utilized to purchase and fully install a new Smart TV. This visual tool upgrades the classroom environment, empowering teachers to employ modern visual teaching methods that foster creative and critical thinking among primary students.
• Academic & Cultural Motivation: To promote student engagement and celebrate heritage, the project sponsored all 24 prizes distributed across four distinct school competitions held throughout the morning:
  1. Pertandingan Replika Kraftangan Tradisional
  2. Pertandingan Replika Alat Muzik Tradisional
  3. Pertandingan Manangon
  4. Pertandingan Sugandoi
• Student Welfare Support: Directly addressing immediate clothing challenges for vulnerable students on active school aid, the joint effort distributed 240 pairs of new school socks and 200 pieces of brand-new Padini clothing directly into the hands of the children.

Both clubs were incredibly happy to have collaborated on this meaningful cross-strait venture. It remains the ultimate hope of both sister clubs that this act of service inspires these young minds to pay the kindness forward, becoming bright future lights for generations of students to come.