The Children’s Ministries Department of the Adventist Church in Malaysia (MAUM), working with Seremban Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Adventist Church in Peninsular Malaysia (PEM), organized a five-session outreach program for Orang Asli children in Port Dickson, Malaysia. Officially called the Children’s Evangelism Program, the initiative took place from September 8 to 12, 2026, at the House of Hope in Pasir Panjang.
Orang Asli means “original people” and is the collective term for the Indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia. The Orang Asli are culturally and linguistically diverse, comprising 18 subgroups commonly classified under three principal groups: the Negrito, Senoi, and Aboriginal Malay or Proto-Malay.
An average of 22 children, ranging in age from 6 to 18, attended the program each evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Every session began with a healthy meal, followed by a health lesson and a related activity. Each evening concluded with a short story about Jesus.
The program introduced the children to NEWSTART, an Adventist health education framework that encourages healthy daily habits. It also introduced Christian teachings through stories about the birth, miracles, parables and teachings of Jesus, as well as the Christian belief in Jesus’ return.
The children participated enthusiastically in craft activities, learned about healthy habits and listened attentively to the Bible stories. They especially enjoyed an upbeat Bahasa Malaysia song composed for the program. The song focused on moderation and healthy living, encouraging practices such as getting eight hours of sleep each night and breathing fresh air.
For the organizers, the program was an opportunity to help the children understand that they are valued, loved and precious in the sight of God. Through healthy meals, songs, activities, Bible stories and the care shown by volunteers from Seremban church and MAUM headquarters, the organizers hoped the children would experience the love of Jesus in a practical way.
Relationships Built Through Community Service
The program developed from months of friendship and community engagement. For almost eight months, Davinder Singh and Cherlyn Sikin had been building relationships with Orang Asli children in Kampung Palebar Baru and Kampung Bukit Kepung, two recognized Orang Asli villages in the Port Dickson area.
Singh and Sikin serve as Global Mission Pioneers, the Adventist Church’s term for workers who establish relationships and provide service in communities where the church has had little or no previous presence.
As part of their community work, they provided tutoring for children who had dropped out of school and for students preparing for national examinations. Members of Seremban Seventh-day Adventist Church, under the leadership of Pastor Frendy Rubil, had also formed connections with the community through children’s programs, gift-giving and home visits in previous years.
These continuing acts of friendship led to the five-session program. Organizers described it as their first formal evangelistic initiative with this Orang Asli community, which the church had previously considered unreached.
Understanding the Orang Asli Community
According to the Department of Orang Asli Development, known by its Malay acronym JAKOA, the Orang Asli population numbered 215,215 in 2023. They lived in approximately 853 recognized villages throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
Orang Asli communities include followers of traditional Indigenous religions, Islam and Christianity. Smaller numbers follow other religions or report no formal religious affiliation.
Although Orang Asli children have the same legal access to Malaysia’s public education system as other Malaysian children, some continue to face barriers to completing their education. These challenges include poverty, long distances to school, inadequate transportation, limited internet access, language differences and unfamiliar school environments.
The transition from primary to secondary education can be especially difficult when children must leave their communities or live in hostels to continue studying. Parliamentary information indicates that the secondary-school dropout rate among Orang Asli children in 2022 was approximately 4.65 per cent, compared with the national rate of about 0.99 per cent.
MAUM volunteers hope the relationships developed through tutoring, home visits and children’s activities will continue beyond the five-session program. They pray that the lessons shared with the children will grow into a living faith in Jesus Christ through continued friendship, future programs and the work of the Holy Spirit.
They also pray that more opportunities will become available for the church to serve Orang Asli communities with love, respect and compassion.
The original article was published in the Malaysia Adventist Union website.