10th November 2015
CHBAR (Cameron Highlands Smoke Free Zone) under REACH organized three health campaigns for the people of Cameron Highlands to create awareness regarding the dangers of smoking and to encourage them to practice an ‘anti-smoking’ culture.
The first health campaign was held on the 27th of October 2015 at the Hainan Association hall in Brinchang, and the second on the 3rd of November 2015 at SK Convent main hall in Tanah Rata.
The third health campaign will be carried out in Tringkap on the 15th of December 2015.
A few REACH volunteers did several walkabouts in both Brinchang and Tanah Rata in the months of October and November. The walkabouts in these towns serve as a platform to inform and invite the locals to join these health campaigns. 
On the very first morning of the walkabout, we woke up and were greeted by a pungent smell wafting through our area. To our dismay, the haze grew worse over the course of one day. However, we were unperturbed by the haze and were determined to carry out our mission in Brinchang town.
Despite the bad weather, many were unfazed by the haze and were busy going about their daily morning routine at the market. We approached many of the stall owners and locals in the market, as well as the owners of business premises all over Brinchang town.
The next day, on the 20th of October 2015, we visited several places including JKR (Public Works ) office and its staff quarters, the Muhibbah flats, Sungai Burong and Sungai Riul which are both Orang Asli villages.
As the days of our walkabouts went by, the haze diminished and we were rewarded with clear blue skies. On the 26th of October and 3rd of November, we continued our walkabouts in Tanah Rata. As usual, we handed out flyers and stuck posters in 4 different languages namely BM, English, Mandarin and Tamil wherever we went for the people’s reference.
These walkabouts were fun and an eye-opening experience. We got to travel around town to meet new people and make new friends, enjoyed each other’s company and the beauty of the highlands, and we learned to communicate better with people from all walks of life.
We hope this health campaign will be able to give and serve the people of Cameron Highlands in many ways!
Written by Lai Shen-Ly