KOTA KINABALU, Dec. 14 -- Pitas in Sabah is the northernmost tip of Borneo after Kudat. To the world, its geographical location is likely its only claim to fame.

Villages in this district are sprawled inwards towards land and are far from any bustling town. Geographic isolation and its infertile land makes Pitas among the poorest districts in Malaysia with little basic infrastructure, including access to electricity and water.

Money is scarce and hard to come by. The little that the Rungus people of Pitas here earn, RM500 to RM1,500 a month from subsistence farming or fishing, is set aside for selected staple food, to journey outside their villages, and for emergencies.

Julinah Koyou and her husband Joseph Peter Gintak, a couple in the...