600 Climb 7 Hills For Charitable Cause
By Azarimy HH and Yusrin Junaidi

Bandar Seri Begawan - SMARTER said 600 participants including families, yesterday helped it collect $9,000, not including pledges and other donations for the 7-Hill Charity Challenge

Its president, Malai Abdullah, said he was very satisfied with how the event turned out, and happy as more people became aware of autism because of it.

Medals to 40 autistic children who took part in the climb were given by Hj Mohd Mahadi bin POKDGSDDLU Hj Awg Abd Rahinan.

"The fund raising included climbing seven of the most popular hills around Bandar Seri Begawan. The challenge was to complete climbing all seven hill routes in continuous succession in one day," said the event manager, Major Mohd Talip.

"Many participants who joined us in last year's popular 5-Hills Challenge thoroughly enjoyed the day and had requested that SMARTER organise another challenge this year.

"There was no pressure during the climbing. It was paced as scheduled and climbers who found difficulty keeping up were adviced to skip a hill and catch up at the next hill. We provided a registration desk on every hill and climbers who registered were given free Smarter Challenge Certificate," he said.

"The objective was to raise funds to help SMARTER Brunei. Our students pay monthly school fee. Schools fees alone are insufficient to cover all expenses and we depend on donations from the public and private organisations to operate. Currently SMARTER Brunei's running cost is approximately $15,000 per month, including salaries and operational expenditure."

The seven popular hills in Bandar Seri Begawan include Taman Peranginan Tasek Lama, Taman Rekreasi Markuching, Taman Rekreasi Hutan Bukit Subok, Bukit Pancaran Subok, Bukit Kg Mentiri, Taman Rekreasi Hutan Simpanan Berakas and Taman Rekreasi Bukit Shahbandar.

The 7-Hill Charity Challenge was officiated by the Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), Colonel Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Rosli bin Pengiran Haji Chuchu

SMARTER Brunei needs tens of thousands of dollars per year, which come from donations and charity events, to fund the SMARTER Centre.

SMARTER said it hopes to be able to at least be self-reliant on financial matters in the coming years, and it is planning to set up its own business activities. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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