The ‘Gift of Love’ Batang Ai community library, is a corporate social responsibility project led by ICCA which was set-in-motion by its 59th Asia Pacific Regional Hub committee and was originally, a book sharing program that expanded, into a life-changing initiative for the local residents.

The aim of opening the library was to provide a functional space with educational resources to help retain rural children in school. Although it was easy to set up the library, it needed however, international expertise and the stamp of approval from the International Congress & Convention Association.

Sarawak took a step further from the initial book-donation-only concept to build an actual community library, and worked with the local people on a long-term program to establish the library.

“ICCA has spent years advocating positive societal impacts through business events. Sarawak raised the bar for the global business events sector when they announced this initiative as a Congress-led corporate social responsibility project,” said Ms. Waikin Wong, ICCA’s Asia Pacific regional director.

In a recent hand-over ceremony of the Batang Ai’s first community library, the Nanga Ukom longhouse residents in Sarawak are now the guardian of the library.