Hello everyone! My name is Rhonwyn and I'm the chief coordinator (and founder) of Project WHEE!, which is the acronym for 'We the youth. Helping those in need. Exceeding expectations. Empowering others'. Project WHEE! is a youth cultural exchange program. We select youth from all over Malaysia to participate. Our aim is to teach the Kelabit women of Bario,Sarawak (Borneo) how to speak English so that they communicate with tourists who visit Bario. With the knowledge of basic spoken English, they can earn an income by acting as eco-tourism tourguides and also set up homestays (there are no hotels in Bario). I fell in love with the community of Bario when I went 4 years ago. Back then, I was a lot younger. But since my first visit, my love for Bario has continued to grow and grow. At the end of Batch 2 in July this year, I was presented with a kaboq (traditional necklace) by my Kelabit 'grandmother', and was embraced into a hug. She told me in a mix of Malay and Kelabit, 'Sekan, Bario kampung iko. Jangan ko lupa kita di sini bila balik KL. (Sekan [my local Kelabit name], Bario is your hometown. Don't ever forget us here when you go back to Kuala Lumpur). Project WHEE! is by far the best memory of my 3 year gap. I have learnt so much from the people of Bario, the youth that embark on this project as well as leading this project itself. And you know what? I'm not done learning! In fact, I will be extending to gap year 4 to continue and expand Project WHEE! to greater heights. This is where you can help! For every donation, you are not contributing to 'Rhonwyn', but to: 1. The growth of Project WHEE!, which is still in its infancy stage. 2. Empowering the women of Bario to earn a sustainable income through eco-tourism. 3. My mission and my passion for community development. Is Project WHEE! a successful project? Heck yeah it is! Check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/projectwhee to see what the past batches of youth have been up to. And also, do watch the impact video linked here!