The Borneo Project arose out of a partnership between the city of Berkeley, California and the Kayan community of Uma Bawang/Keluan along the Baram River of Sarawak, Malaysia.

A banner made by residents of Uma Bawang

In the late 1980s, Sarawak made world headlines when indigenous villages staged a series of blockades in resistance to the incursion of logging companies who were illegally encroaching on their lands, in violation of the peoples' constitutionally-guaranteed rights to "native customary lands". The village of Uma Bawang emerged as a leader in the resistance effort and hosted many international journalists and environmentalists who had taken an interest in the struggle over Borneo's rainforests.

The Malaysian government responded with tear gas and repression, initiating a series of mass arrests of the peaceful protestors. In 1989, the government arrested 42 peaceful protestors from Uma Bawang and held them without charge for two weeks. Repressive government measures prompted the withdrawal of international support from Sarawak, leaving villages such as Uwa Bawang alone to continue to struggle for their rights.

Among the international observers was arborist and filmmaker Joe Lamb of Berkeley, California. Shortly thereafter, Joe organized a group of volunteers to meet monthly to support the efforts of Uwa Bawang. The group hoped that one way to prevent further governmental abuse and harassment of Uma Bawang residents was through a long-term sister city partnership and "citizen diplomacy". In 1991, the Berkeley City Council passed a resolution making Uma Bawang an official sister city. With legal aid from the Borneo Project, the community of Uwa Bawang sued the government for the wrongful arrest and false imprisonment of the 42 protestors and won a settlement for each.

With time, the number of Bay Area volunteers grew, as did our ability to provide capacity building trainings and financial support for a growing number of indigenous initiatives.

In 1995, the Borneo Project was invited to hold Malaysian Borneo's first community mapping workshop. Since then, community mapping has become incredibly popular among indigenous communities fighting for land rights. Currently, over 200 communities are in the process of mapping their land. Our partners have won several prestigious environmental awards and traveled the world speaking out for indigenous rights and rainforests. Our handicrafts program has provided consistent income to local artisans over the years, and our support for reforestation has enabled communities to replant over 30,000 trees. Microhydro electricity has allowed the community of Long Lawen to purify its water supply and rely on clean, environmentally friendly energy.

Since 1991, the Borneo Project has expanded to be able to respond to requests from dozens of villages and activist organizations across Sarawak, Sabah and Indonesian Kalimantan.

Thanks to the support of our long-term members and volunteers, our commitment to community conservation and human rights struggles in Borneo remains strong.

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