"TOMORROW I have to remove the cake off the office floor!" Pelf Nyok exclaims, shaking her head. Cake? I was puzzled. "The what?" I ask. "The mud cake!" she replies, grinning. The recent flooding due to the monsoon hadn't spared the conservationist and co-founder of Turtle Conservation Society, Malaysia (TCS). "My house and the office space we rented nearby were also flooded," she says, sighing.
The flood situation on the east coast, especially in Terengganu, had gotten worse in the last few days, with water levels rising in the town of Chukai, Kemaman and more than 10,000 people from the district evacuated to flood relief centres.
There's really no place to run to, is there?" Pelf had written plaintively in her Facebook update just a few days ago. "We'd launched a donation drive for the ladies in the kampung because they were badly affected. Not knowing that in less than 12 hours, we'd become victims ourselves too. My house is underwater. Our office is underwater. We only had an hour to pack our stuff and send them upstairs. Not enough time."
She looks visibly tired. The waters have already receded at her home. The entire day had been spent cleaning and salvaging items damaged by floods. "I've been luckier than most," she admits. The villagers, on the other hand, hadn't been so fortunate. Most of their homes still lie submerged while they take refuge at relief centres.
Kampung Pasir Gajah, where Pelf runs her river terrapin conservation programme, has been badly hit by the floods. "They get hit by the floods almost every year," she shares. "But that doesn't mean that they're used to it. They're certainly prepared for the worst, but the damages are enough to disrupt their way of life and their ability to earn a living."
The floods are worse this year. The low-lying areas, she says, aren't the only places affected. In fact, about 80 per cent of the township of Chukai has been inundated by flood waters. Brown water submerged nearly everything, as entire villages were swallowed by the deluge. The floods, fast and furious, left few people with enough time to make it to the flood relief centres. Homes provided little refuge from the devastation.
The loss of income already precipitated by the growing Covid-19 pandemic has been further compounded by the floods brought on by torrential rains. "It's been tough for them," she says softly. It has certainly hampered the inroads TCS was making in the village for the past 11 years.
THRIVING COMMUNITY
When the newly minted conservationist sat down with a group of seasoned, rough-around-the-edges village men of Kampung Pasir Gajah at a roadside warong to talk about terrapin conservation almost 11 years ago, it didn't occur to the young Chinese woman then that she'd soon be adopted into the community and be given the charming moniker Mek Tuntung ("Turtle Lady" in Terengganu dialect).
It was important for Pelf to have local allies at nearby villages for her river terrapin conservation project to run successfully. "I already knew that from the very beginning. It isn't enough to force my way into villages and tell them what to do. When I first came in, terrapin eggs were being consumed by the villagers. I knew I had to work with them and change their mindsets in order for my programme to work."
Recalls the Masters graduate: "I'd been searching for areas where river terrapins were known to nest. I put the word out then to find out where we could find these creatures at the major rivers of Terengganu."
The keen question of "Mana lagi ada tuntung?" (Where else can we find terrapins") spread through villages, and the answer was soon found at the third largest river in the state — Sungai Kemaman.
"Ada jumpa tuntung dalam sungai ni!" (We've found terrapins in this river!) The local fishermen told her, recognising the animal through the pictures she showed them. "Would you help me save them?" she asked them, and the villagers of Kampung Pasir Gajah were one of the few who said "yes".
A total of three villages agreed to help Pelf, but over the years she'd lost the other nesting sites due to many unforeseeable reasons. "Right now, we only have one nesting site at this village and we've been working with them ever since," she reveals.
"It's never easy penetrating into villages to raise awareness," admits Pelf, who's based in Kemaman, adding: "However, the-then village headman of Kampung Pasir Gajah told us that he'd always wanted to do something positive for the dwindling terrapin population. "Mek, saya memang nak selamatkan tuntung tapi saya tak tahu apa nak buat (Mek, I really wanted to help save terrapins but I didn't know what to do)," he told her.
The village headman helped round up the male villagers and the motley group had a tea-time session at the nearby stall with the intrepid researcher. "It was tough!" she says with a rueful chuckle. "It was the first time I — an outsider and a woman at that — entered the kampung to ask these men to help save terrapins. Thankfully, it took a visionary headman to recognise the opportunity and help rally the villagers into agreeing."
She hasn't looked back since. The adage "It takes a village to raise a child" rings true even for the tiny terrapins who otherwise haven't got a decent enough chance to survive on their own.
A lot of what TCS does focuses on improving the daily lives of the villagers to become the voice of conservation in their communities. This include providing opportunities for the men to earn a much-needed supplementary income.
For more than a decade, the community here has been trying something unique — a controversial experiment in conservation — that aims to maintain a sustainable terrapin population while benefiting the local village.
"We pay the villagers who collect the eggs which would otherwise be for their own consumption. You don't see terrapin eggs in the market because they're so rare," she tells me pointedly.
The most important aspect of her work lies in convincing the villagers that these terrapins should be protected, and convincing them to sell the eggs to her instead. "We offer them upah (wages) because they have to wait by the riverbank all night to procure the eggs."
The villagers soon became the backbone of the community-based terrapin conservation project in Kampung Pasir Gajah. All of them, recounts Pelf, used to collect and consume river terrapin eggs, "…but they're now our trusted Terrapin Guardians. They work tirelessly during the terrapin nesting season to collect as many eggs as possible for incubation."
The project also hires a local villager known to the community as "Pak Wazel" to raise the terrapin hatchlings in the TCS River Terrapin Conservation Centre located at the village.
With the main priority being the community, the mutual learning process produces spin-offs, such as developing leadership and communication skills as well as providing feedback in terms of research and outreach activities from the non-governmental organisation's perspective. It further demonstrates how simple measures and applied research hold great potential to impact the overall development of a village.
Aside from enlisting the help and buy-in from the male villagers, the enterprising conservationist also recently started a community empowerment programme, enlisting 10 local women to produce turtle-inspired batik products for sale. The original idea of this programme, she explains, was to empower these women to generate income to help their families.
"For the longest time, I've been working with the men. But I'm glad this idea — that I should also involve the women — came to me," she explains. This venture has now become increasingly important to TCS because by engaging the community and empowering the women, they're also adding inventories into the society's shop which helps in fundraising while earning the much-needed income for their families.
WOMEN UNLEASHED
"We all know that in the kampung, the men work," continues Pelf. From repairing motorbikes, taking up odd jobs or working in construction, the men work hard to earn a living for their families while the women mostly became homemakers.
But the pandemic upended everything. The men soon found themselves out of jobs with little means of supporting the family. It soon fell on the women to find ways to bring much needed income to their families.
For this reason, these wives had been drawn into the labour force; some supplementing their husbands' seasonal earnings with small catering jobs. "When we offered the women a chance to earn an income sewing masks from turtle-inspired batik, it was like throwing them a lifeline," she recalls, smiling.
The idea to involve women in her conservation efforts began early on. When Pelf first began the turtle conservation project at the village, she had to do everything herself — from marking the terrapin hatchlings, weighing them, measuring them and recording the measurements. Over time, she soon noticed Pak Wazel's daughter, Nurul Huda, keenly observing her as she worked.
"I eventually enlisted her to help me record the measurements and she gladly complied," says Pelf, smiling. She soon decided to train the 34-year-old housewife to measure the terrapin hatchlings herself. "I taught her the basic procedures to weigh and measure the terrapin hatchlings, and she subsequently helped us in our routine work," she recalls.
The first time she paid Nurul an allowance of RM50 for her assistance, the young mother-of-two had tears in her eyes. It was the first time she'd been paid to do anything in her life. Nurul eventually began assisting her as Pelf brought in students and visitors who were visiting the hatchery to learn about terrapin conservation.
"I'd give Nurul some money to buy refreshments for my visitors. One day, she asked me if she could cook instead. I agreed and gave her small catering jobs every time I brought in guests. Eventually, Nurul gained enough confidence to open a food stall in the village!" shares Pelf proudly.
The opportunity to earn a living was liberating. For some of them, it's a breakthrough. Most had never worked before.
This inspired Pelf to come up with a programme to train local women with skills that would earn them a supplementary income. "There was a lot of trial and error!" Pelf says, with a hearty laugh. "I first had the idea of getting the ladies to make DIY body lotion. I quickly picked up the know-how from YouTube, and ran over to the kampung to teach them!" she recalls, grinning.
She thought it would be a lot more profitable and healthier for the ladies to make lotions, which could be distributed to village folks during functions instead of the customary junk food. But after a while, the interest waned off. "I supposed they weren't interested in that business venture!" she says wryly.
She then invited someone to teach the women how to make DIY soap. "I figured that it would be a lot cheaper for them to make their own soap instead of buying from the store," she recounts.
Around 20 women attended the soapmaking class. There, she was approached by some of them who asked: "Mek, tak de ke kelas menjahit? (Mek, aren't there any sewing classes instead?)"
This was all the encouragement Pelf needed. She eventually found funding to kickstart a one-year sewing course for 20 women and buy them the sewing machines they needed. The course began in November last year and will continue on through this year.
At the end of the course, the women will be sitting for an exam and obtain a certificate when they pass. "This will help empower them. It's not that these ladies can't sew, but a certificate will certainly go a long way in helping them with their self-esteem," says Pelf. At the very least, it will give them the confidence to charge people for their sewing.
LIFELONG COMMITMENT
The results were encouraging. Out of the 20 women taking the course, Pelf is currently working with 10 of them who are keen to practise their skills by helping the conservationist sew products like face mask and pouches, to supplement their income. "I'd give them the materials and ask them to sew me a consignment of products which I'd later pay for," she says.
During the pandemic season, their sewing jobs with TCS became a lifeline of sorts. For one of the women, receiving her first income from TCS was an emotional experience. With tears in her eyes, she kissed her upah jahit (sewing wages) repeatedly as she murmured: "Ya Allah, rezeki pertama Kak Nor (Oh God, this is my first sustenance)"
Remarks Pelf softly: "Imagine how empowering this programme can be to these women!" In just two years (since the programme started), she feels a lot more connected to the women. "I wish I connected with them a lot earlier," she admits with a rueful grin. "The women now better understand the work that I do. Now I can nudge the ladies to nudge their husbands to send us more terrapin eggs!"
But another hurdle was soon to come.
When the torrential rain arrived with the floods, the livelihood of the villagers got further disrupted. With most of their houses submerged, the women, along with their families, fled the village for higher ground. Some have since returned to clean their houses while others are still ensconced in the relief centres.
"The damages haven't been assessed yet," says Pelf sombrely. "Some fear that there may be another greater wave of floods soon." The women have been unable to carry on with their classes or even the sewing jobs that have helped put food on the table. While government bodies have been at hand to donate necessities, much more needs to be done in order to get them back on their feet again.
Pelf is ready to pitch in and help. After all, the village folk of Kampung Pasir Gajah has been part of her extended family for more than a decade.
"I made the decision 11 years ago to be involved," she attests. "Being involved can mean different things to a lot of people. To me, it means attending weddings, mourning together with them at funerals, celebrating births and being there when they ask me to. As long as they invite me, I'll show up. By always showing up, they have slowly regarded me as family."
A pause, and she says softly: "And being a part of this family also means that I have to extend a helping hand when they need it. That's what families are for, right?"
Pelf is currently raising funds to help her project assistants and the women from Kampung Pasir Gajah who are producing TCS' turtle-batik merchandise. "We need to take care of the locals who are helping us protect and conserve critically-endangered river terrapins. Some of them endanger their lives, especially during the terrapin nesting season, when they camp out on the riverbank to collect river terrapin eggs for incubation," she explains.
It took a village to save terrapins. And the terrapin conservationist is now at hand to help rebuild the community that helped her save the endangered wildlife.
Smiling, Pelf concludes: "They've always been there for me when it matters most, embracing my project and opening their hearts to protect terrapins. It's my turn to try to make a difference when it matters most to them. Let's take care of people who help us take care of terrapins."
TABUNG BENCANA BANJIR KAMPUNG PASIR GAJAH
You can help Pelf Nyok by donating to Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia.
CIMB 860 316 3577
WhatsApp: 012-696 8238 #banjir