Project Lestari Laut Brings Education Closer to Orang Asli Children in Coastal Malaysia

Miss World Malaysia Taanusiya Chetty has launched Project Lestari Laut (Learning by the Waves), an education initiative aimed at improving access to learning for indigenous Orang Asli children living in remote coastal communities across Malaysia.

The project was introduced through a site visit to Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Dua on Pulau Ketam, a small island settlement accessible only by water. Leading the initiative, Taanusiya and her team traveled from Kuala Lumpur to Port Klang before continuing by ferry and small boats to reach the village.

The community is home to 22 families and around 35 children, many of whom live in modest stilt houses built over the sea. Limited infrastructure, sanitation challenges, and environmental neglect have made daily life difficult. Access to education remains one of the biggest obstacles, as the nearest school is located far from the village and requires risky daily boat travel, often affected by tides and unpredictable weather.

These challenges contribute to low school attendance and limited learning opportunities, with only around 30 percent of Orang Asli children completing secondary education—significantly below the national average.

Project Lestari Laut seeks to address this gap by bringing education directly to the children’s environment. 

By turning the sea and surrounding ecosystem into a living classroom, the initiative promotes hands-on and experiential learning in collaboration with partners Beaurev Global and Sekolah Laut. An expanded program for Pulau Ketam is planned for 2026.

Aligned with the Beauty With a Purpose mission and the #ForEveryChild advocacy, the project underscores the belief that every child deserves equal access to education, regardless of geographic isolation or socioeconomic barriers.