Community projects
Authentic Sumatra Association and Sumatran Sea Turtle Conservation is focus in action at the village of Nagari Sungai Pinang by helping the villagers and working with them. The goal of both associations is to improve the education of local children by providing them with schools fees and helping them buys school kits.
Our Activities
Because of poverty not all families can afford to provide education for their children. So that became our main goal. We want to give equal opportunities to all and contribute to the future of our children. So they can have the freedom to continue their studies, if that is what they want, to build a better future for themselves and their families. With the help of our partners we expect to open a free school in the future. We financialy supported during three years the studies of three young people from the village who graduated in 2014, and are now supporting the studies of others. We often organize free English classes for kids willing to learn, and distribute school supplies and books whenever we get the chance.
Job Creation
We hire more than 10 young people from poor families from the village of Nagari Sungai to work with us, as well as some young freelancers from Padang. This way we give them a chance to gain work experience and improve their English, French, and other languages, which enhances their chances on the job market.
Local Economy
All the food and drinks we use in our guest house are bought in the village in order to develop the local economy. We are working as well with local people as often as possible for exemple when organising boat trips and cooking classes, and for laundry, motorbike transportation, traditionnal massages or woodcarving.
Support Local Woodcarving
We support local woodcarvers by organizing workshop, helping them selling their product and promoting it to our guests.
Environment
Our long-term plan is to clean the village and educate the people about the environmental problems. We explain and show people how to recycle so we are developing a project where villagers can join and learn how to make use of recycling plastic. We regulary organize “cleaning beach day” so the kids can start to learn how to keep their surroudings clean.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela
Help us rescue turtles and increase ecological awareness!
Volunteering Program at the Sumatran Sea Turtles Project Centre
The Sumatran Turtle Conservation was formed in March 2016 to save the turtle population around the fishing village of Nagari Sungai Pinang, aiming to increase awareness of ecological matters among local inhabitants.
We started this project because we found that sea turtles in Sumatra were in danger of becoming extinct, and because we were concerned by the widespread degradation of the Sumatran marine environment and national exploitation issues. While the program focuses mainly on rescuing turtles around the fishing village, our broader goal is to contribute to different aspects of marine conservation in Sumatra.
The Volunteering Project
As a volunteer you will participate in the daily activities at the project centre: assisting in feeding and cleaning the turtles, beach patrols, nest excavations, poaching surveys, mangrove seedling collection and replanting, GPS mapping, beach surveys, beach clean-ups, movement pattern research of turtles in Sungai Pinang Village, replanting coral reefs, and teaching recycling and environmental classes (in English) to the local kids.
In addition to contributing to the improvement of the local ecology and learning about marine conservation, volunteers will get the opportunity to experience local life in an authentic fishing village, exchange language and culture, and meet with local people as well as travellers from all over the world, whilst staying in a small beach paradise.