The story that you are going to hear is a story that reminded me of how lucky I am today in terms of what I have and what I do. That is a luxury some of these Bajau people will never get to enjoy because of the environment they grow up in. But Zul vows to help lift them out of poverty and provide proper education to them. In fact, he and his team have set up a 10-year plan to, quoting his own words, help these people reach the level of underprivileged people in Singapore because that level is also a luxury to have. Zul, a go-getter all his life, suddenly puts behind his current life and pushes forward to help these kids at a beautiful island on the east side of Malaysia, called Semporna. Anyone visiting would drop their jaws upon the sight of the sea and beaches. But little does anyone know about the dark side of this place where many social problems tend to linger around for many years… Join me and Zul as we understand what goes on truly on this side of the island. Timeline: [00:00] Why is he into volunteering? [01:29] The dark side of Semporna [04:59] From thinking of building a business to volunteering [10:48] Lifestyle changes for him and his family [13:54] What did his wife think about this? [16:54] HUGS project [20:06] Sea gypsies and homeless kids [23:23] These Bajau people are not what tourists portray them to be [27:38] Bajau people are good fishermen [28:47] You’d never expect this from the Bajau people [31:39] What if they learnt to beg for more? [38:00] Would they beg for education had their basic necessities been secured? [40:53] The progress in volunteering so far [44:06] They rely on generators on islands [45:18] What about pirates and the dangerous stuff? [48:20] Why is there tension between the Bajau Darat and Bajau Laut people? [49:42] Resisting donations [50:26] Culture first, then progress [57:37] Bad exploitations [01:03:45] How can one start volunteering? [01:04:39] Glue sniffing problem [01:16:50] The need for volunteering Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com and https://www.epidemicsound.com/