Apr 8, 2024
A busy first few months of 2021 marking the start of a new chapter for us here at the Anambas Foundation, and we are getting back to full speed making up for time lost due to the pandemic.
And what an exciting year it is for us, as we have a line-up of new plans, strategies, activities, and programs. What’s more, we recently welcomed two interns to our marine conservation program: Novita from Jakarta and Rahman from Tanjung Pinang, who will be working with us for six months.
The Anambas Foundation is dedicating itself to improving the environment and community of the
Anambas region through forest conservation, marine conservation, and community development.
Our main goal is to show different ways of improving the region in a sustainable manner:
Here are some highlights of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the first four months of 2021.
During our time in Tarempa, we met with the Provincial Forestry Office to collaborate on the
tree-planting project in South Tarempa Village. This project aims to plant 300 trees and install 900 bio-pore infiltration holes on the degraded land around the water reservoir. Bio-pores are a simple yet innovative technology aimed at reducing flooding and producing compost, while simultaneously reducing kitchen waste, fertilising the soil and increasing groundwater reserves. This initiative will directly engage the local communities, thereby educating them on the importance of protecting the forest in South Tarempa. We are still in the early stages of implementation. In the coming months, we plan to introduce the South Tarempa community to the project, build a seedling house and procure tree seedlings, make bio-pores and plant the young trees on the degraded land.
While the rest of the team were in Tarempa, our marine conservation program manager went to Bawah Island to assist the Bawah Reserve team with its annual Reef Health Monitoring. The monitoring was done in four days we are currently analysing the findings. Our marine conservation team has achieved a great deal in the first quarter of 2021, including achieving the 2021 target of submerging 40 coral spiders in the damaged reef area near Ant Island in Kiabu. We also received additional funding from Seastainable Co., a social business supporting marine conservation work in Southeast Asia, that we will use to make rumpon – fish aggregating devices that help fishermen catch fish more easily. Placed underwater.
On March 29, the Foundation had an opportunity to present our activities, achievements, and program plans for 2021 to the highest-ranking government officials of the Anambas Archipelago District, including the Head of District Abdul Haris, S.H., the Deputy Head of District, the Regional Secretary and the Head of the Regional Parliament. In total, 25 people from 10 institutions and departments were present at the formal event.
Our presentation was well received by the Head of District and other attendees. We also talked about future collaboration with government agencies and program implementation in other areas of the Anambas region. The event concluded with the ceremonial handing over of our 2020 Annual Report to the Head of District and was followed by an intimate lunch with the Head of District and representatives from Bawah Reserve.
Meanwhile, over in Kiabu, the Anabas Foundation programs are all going so well, that they will now become a model for community-based conservation activities on other small islands in the Anambas archipelago ;
In early April, we went to Kiabu village to train women in upcycling. We taught them how to
make reusable bags and masks from leftover fabric, and coconut lights from coconut shells. In
addition, middle school students were invited to attend our presentation on sustainable
menstruation, where we introduced reusable sanitary pads and underwear to reduce single-use
sanitary products waste.
All participants showed great enthusiasm and were excited to gain new knowledge and
skills that they could apply in their daily lives. Before leaving, we challenged them to make good-quality masks and bags that we will purchase from them. Our plan is to distribute the masks to our Digital English Club students, and the reusable bags to small kiosks, so as to replace single-use plastic bags.
At our Recycling Centre in Kiabu we have successfully installed the thermal machine we designed and created in partnership with Udayana University in Bali. We invited two people from the University to set up the machine in Kiabu, run trials and train our staff to operate it. Once fully operational, the Recycling Centre will be able to receive and manage waste sustainably – not only from Kiabu, but also from other areas within the Anambas Islands.
At the request of the local government, we recently established our DEC program for
elementary school students in South Tarempa village. Every Wednesday and Thursday, classes
are held in a public building provided by the South Tarempa government. Through both online
and offline sessions, we teach basic everyday English. To make it more fun, we include games
and quizzes and give prizes to the top students.
In early February, Husni, the Telaga Village Facilitator in charge of our organic farming program, took a three-week course in organic farming at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pangkal Pinang.
Traveling by boat, it took Husni three days to get to the city of Pangkal Pinang. There he
was welcomed by Romo (father) Untung, his supervisor throughout this training course. The
training was free of charge; it was part of the church’s empowerment programs that aim to get
people to care for the planet.
Husni learnt how to grow local vegetables like water spinach, mustard greens, spinach, and tomatoes; and basic farming techniques like making raised beds, organic compost, and growth regulators, among other things. Now he wants to impart the knowledge and skills to other people in the village and to improve the Foundation’s organic farming program in Telaga and beyond.
We look forward to continued progress in the next quarter of 2021. If you would like to support our programs, you may make an offline donation using the bank details provided. HERE
100% of every donation you make goes directly to supporting our programs on the ground in the Anambas. Not a single cent is used for administrative or operational costs. DONATE NOW
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