The importance of education has long been identified as one of the main components in an effort to empower an individual or a community thus bringing them out of poverty. Therefore, motivation and encouragement in education is important in helping indigenous communities to empower their lives. This study aimed to explore the form of motivation in education towards empowering the Orang Sungai community in Paitan, Sabah. Respondents consisted of 38 heads of households. The study was conducted using a mixed method approach where a survey using the asset mapping form is combined with interviews to obtain detailed and accurate answers. The findings were analyzed by thematic analysis found the emergence of two main themes, namely intrinsic motivation (self attendance record, no money wager and children’s attendance record) and extrinsic (bag and stationery, experience learning from a teacher, foods and beverages, friends and siblings as well as experiences of mingling with outsiders). Overall the advocacy literacy programme has succeeded in raising awareness about the importance of education among adult learners. This awareness needs to be nurtured and given the attention so that the learning process can be continued to a higher level in the future.