FUNDING problems continue to hinder non-governmental organisations in Brunei from carrying out effective programmes that fight for the causes they believe in. There has never been a study on the effectiveness of Brunei NGOs in contributing to the community or shaping national policies. No research has also been published on the number of NGOs that did not stay afloat because of financial issues. According to United Nations policy watchdog Global Policy Forum, often what an NGO can and cannot do is tied to where the money comes from, dramatically affecting the effectiveness and neutrality of NGOs. It added that NGOs rely on money from various sources, including individual donors, foundations, corporations, and governments. Iswandy Ahmad, the president of Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council, said there is a misconception in Brunei that…

YOUTH involvement in national development goals this year gained royal praise during the 10th National Youth Day celebration with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzadin Waddaulah, The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, commending the youths on their valiant efforts. During the event held at the Hassanal Bolkiah Indoor Stadium last September, His Majesty lauded the youths who ventured into the creative industry to those who made the effort as well as those who successfully broke into the international market. He also praised those who chose to venture into less popular fields such as farming and heavy machinery, just to name a few. In the past 12 months, a tremendous number of aspiring young leaders and youth groups in the country have stepped up in terms of being…

GOVERNMENT agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) need to form partnerships to complement one another’s goals, said the founder of Green Brunei. Khairunnisa Ash’ari said to date, Green Brunei has received support from and worked with the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Development and the Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office for its projects. “The kind of support we usually need is technical expertise, facilities and also in-kind support. I believe partnerships like these are important because it helps strengthen understanding of various environment and climate change issues,” she said. The NGO has around 30 members aged from 18 to 31. But Khairunnisa said with most of their events, they work with outside volunteers as well as Universiti Brunei Darussalam students who…

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 9 Dis – Bagi memberi pendedahan kepada orang ramai mengenai keadaan sukar hidupan liar di Borneo, di samping memberi maklumat tentang senarai hidupan liar yang semakin terancam, Green Brunei dengan sokongan The Collective, sebuah pertubuhan kesenian kreatif tempatan, baru-baru ini, telah menganjurkan Pesta Kesenian Hidupan Liar Terancam di The Collective’s MakerSpace di Batu Bersurat. Seramai 24 penuntut dari Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah (MDPMAMB) dan Sekolah Antarabangsa Brunei (JIS) yang diketuai oleh Pasukan Green Brunei COP telah menghabiskan masa mereka selama tiga minggu dalam persediaan bagi acara tersebut. Mereka juga telah mengadakan Community Out-reach Programme (COP) bagi tahun Discovery mereka, dengan konsep memberikan pendedahan awal hasil kajian mereka dalam usaha memberikan cara yang unik untuk mempamerkan haiwan. Pelbagai pertubuhan telah menyertai petak…

IT WAS an evening of the arts for a cause recently at a festival dedicated to highlighting the plight of endangered wildlife in Borneo. Organised by non-governmental organisation Green Brunei with the support of local creative arts organisation, The Collective, the Endangered Wildlife of Borneo Art Festival brought together students, various organisations and vendors as well as members of the public to The Collective’s MakerSpace in Batu Bersurat to learn about the flora and fauna that are endemic to the nation and are under threat of extinction. Some of the organisations included the Biodiversity and Natural History Society (BruWild) and Wildlife Club, which helped to raise awareness on the endangered biodiversity in Brunei by providing information to the public. Meanwhile, vendors such as Enya Bijoux, The Green Glass, I Love…