The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.108)

28 pecial Feature Cultivating talent Abd Wahab bin Ibrahim is the school’s veteran gardener. Chon Moi was aware of his “colourful” past when she first reported for duty at the school. Yet, she took the initiative to patiently communicate with him, taking care to deliver praise and express recognition for his work in their interactions. Motivated by Chon Moi’s respect for him, Wahab’s work attitude changed drastically. Seeing this, Chon Moi nominated him for the Excellent Service Award by the Ministry of Education. Under Wahab’s care, a former plot of barren land was transformed into a miniature ecological park that is home to various types of flora, such as cassava and moringa plants, gaharu and passionfruit trees and some potted plants – the uses and characteristics of which Wahab was able to articulately elaborate on. Wahab revealed that all the plant seedlings were brought in by Chon Moi. He admires her approach to education and truly respects her as the principal, which is why he has decided to play his part in creating an eco-friendly school environment. “This used to be an empty plot of land. The outcome you see now is the result of Wahab’s hard work and creative ideas. This is a small school with limited funding, so sometimes he even uses his own tools for work,” said Chon Moi. Wahab informed, “These are the leaves used to prepare tom yum soup. Go ahead and smell them. This is the cassava plant. And this is the cassava tuber – most of you might not have seen it before. We used to make necklaces out of its branches and leaves to court girls. And, this is the gaharu tree. The wood is used to make the incense the Chinese use for prayers.” Wahab also shared his tips on creative applications for reusable materials. In the past, he had trouble using the lawnmower, as it tended to shear off the roots of the plants by accident. He later discovered that the problem could be solved by sawing PVC pipes into segments and securing them to the plants’ roots. This way, the plants’ roots would be protected against damage whenever he mowed the grass. Yee Chon Moi showing the eco-friendly lanterns produced by the students. [Photograph by Yap Poh Chan]