Building Futures…
Over 12,000 medical consultations provided
Through the Primary Medical Care program, Kawan Sehat health workers provide treatment for fevers, wounds, and malaria in villages lacking access to doctors. They carry essential medicines, adhere to established medical protocols, and refer emergency cases promptly to prevent delays in care.
Encouraging creative solutions and ideas to address challenges in healthcare, education, and water access.
Eben’s journey from being a polio survivor to becoming an artist is central to Fair Future’s 15-year celebration. His artwork on the anniversary T-shirt represents hope and the impactful changes in Laindatang, brought about by the Water Connections project. This story is not only about overcoming adversity, but also about envisioning a future where clean water and healthy living are available to everyone.
From April 17 to 24, Fair Future hosted five members of the Rotary Club Australia. They visited East Sumba to learn about our work, including clean water projects and efforts to combat diseases like malaria and dengue. Together, we distributed SolarBuddy lights and promoted healthy living. We deeply appreciated their support.
The Water Connections project by the Fair Future Foundation is transforming life in Laindatang, East Sumba. By providing clean water to 600 residents, including nearly 100 schoolchildren, we are not only improving hygiene and reducing the risk of diseases like malaria, polio, and tuberculosis, but also teaching sustainable living practices. Our dietitian’s efforts to promote healthy eating and our educational initiatives on hygiene are empowering this extremely rural community to thrive. Support our mission to create a healthier future for all.
Join us on May 8 for the YouTube premiere of ‘Matawai: The Shade of Water’. Directed by Indira Larin, this 15-minute documentary unveils the acute water crises facing East Sumba’s communities and the life-changing impacts of the #WaterConnections program. Discover how we are tackling the essential need for clean water and fighting diseases like malaria through innovative solutions.
Eben’s story shines as a beacon of hope in Laindatang. With each stroke of his pencil, he fights the shadows of poverty and illness. Through our healthy living programs, the Fair Future Foundation presents Eben’s journey from hardship to optimism. His 45 drawings are much more than art; they convey messages of resilience, strength, and aspirations for a better future.
In East Sumba, the simple act of washing hands is more than basic hygiene; it’s a lifesaving gesture. Fair Future Foundation’s latest campaign, ‘Let’s Wash Your Hands,’ marks a significant leap in public health for rural communities. Through the Water Connections program, we’ve installed sinks across schools and villages, ensuring every child can fight against diseases like malaria, polio, and tuberculosis through the power of clean water. This initiative is not just about improving health but fostering a sustainable environment where every child can grow up healthy and strong.
Four Pillars for Healthy Living” serves as Fair Future’s guide for ultra-rural communities, emphasizing balanced lifestyle pillars: physical activity, nutrition, hygiene, and rest. This guide encourages daily exercise, a diet rich in fresh foods, regular washing with soap and water, and adequate rest for mental and physical health, aiming to enhance individual and community well-being.
Fill Your Plate with Healthy Food” is an initiative by Fair Future Foundation aimed at enhancing health in ultra-rural areas. This educational poster, designed as a food pyramid, highlights the importance of balanced nutrition with locally sourced foods. It serves as an interactive tool to encourage communities to adopt healthier eating habits, thereby reducing diet-related diseases and improving children’s focus, while promoting sustainable dietary practices
Behold the new “Picture of the Day”, showcasing the 8-inch borehole being drilled in Laindatang, one of the driest regions in the world. This demanding and logistically complicated work presents numerous technical challenges. However, our motivation is unwavering, as the livelihood of an ultra-rural village community without access to clean water hinges on our success.
The #WaterConnections project in the village of Laindatang is both a significant technical challenge and a demonstration of human ingenuity in the face of natural adversities. This project aims to drill a deep well in one of the world’s driest regions of East Sumba and the world. We are the first to attempt a deep borehole here, and the logistical challenges are immense.
Transporting our own drilling machine, weighing around six tonnes, to terrain that is not easy to access even for the #TruckofLife, demonstrates the team’s exceptional determination and adaptability. The process was quite an adventure, which you can watch in this short film on YouTube.
Using rainwater for drilling by creating a mini artificial lake and a dam made of earth and branches is an innovative and ecological solution that highlights our commitment to overcoming obstacles while preserving the environment. Managing the water required for drilling, approximately 10,000 litres per day, without depleting already limited local resources, demonstrates careful planning and execution.
We encountered some challenges along the way. There was a landslide at the beginning of the borehole, and then another one a few days ago. However, the project was able to continue thanks to land stabilization measures. These technical interventions show a careful approach to unexpected situations, ensuring the safety and success of the well. We have published a gallery of images related to the drilling, and we recommend you take a look here.
This drilling project represents more than a technical endeavour; it catalyzes change, offering crucial access to clean water for the Laindatang community. Access to water is essential for improving residents’ health, nutrition, and hygiene.
We anticipate that the drilling will be finished by the end of April, which means there’s about another month of work left. This aligns with our initial estimate of two to four months of drilling work. Fair Future and Kawan Baik are not only involved in the physical aspects of the project but are also preparing the community to make the most of this valuable resource. The training modules scheduled for mid-April are crucial to ensure that the water brings lasting benefits in terms of improved nutrition, good hygiene, and better health access.
This drilling project is truly a once-in-a-lifetime endeavour. I want to express my gratitude to all of you because what we are attempting to accomplish here is remarkable. Each contribution brings us closer to turning this dream into a reality and providing water and hope to a community in desperate need.
Together, we confront adversity with resilience and innovation, demonstrating that no challenge is insurmountable when we unite for a brighter future. Your generosity transforms lives and establishes a legacy of health and prosperity for future generations.
Link:
We recommend you take a look at this gallery of images related to how we bring the drilling machine on-site;
Some short films on YouTube about drilling here in Laindatang.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu – The 28th of March 2024
In rural areas like here as part of the #WaterConnections – Laindatang 2024 project, water reservoirs play a crucial role in improving the quality of life and health of families. Discover how these Water Tanks improve living conditions, promote health and fight infectious diseases. Access to clean water transforms communities, giving them the means to have a better future.
Witness the remarkable efforts of Fair Future and Kawan Baik Foundation in Laindatang as they bravely tackle extreme conditions to construct reliable water connections and sanitation facilities. Be inspired by the indomitable spirit of the community as they unite to create a better future in the face of adversity.
#WaterConnections here in Laindatang was established for various reasons. Firstly, to improve the living conditions of the residents, promote better health, and combat issues of malnutrition and infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, cholera, hepatitis, polio, and others.
But to combat malnutrition and unhealthy eating habits, it is essential to provide adequate knowledge. The residents here have no concept of what it means to eat healthily. As part of this program, for several months, Fair Future and Kawan Baik cook on-site, not only for our team of workers but also for the village workers, about 30 to 50 people each day. We categorically refuse to prepare unhealthy meals.
Instead, we educate them on new tastes, showing them what fresh vegetables like carrots, potatoes, cabbage, green vegetables, and corn look like, cooked in different ways. It is crucial for children's growth to have a healthy diet. Many of them travel kilometres to get to school, arriving tired, exhausted, and unable to concentrate.
Most of the time, they haven't eaten before leaving home. Additionally, they lack access to water. For us, nutrition is therefore one of the key pillars of this program, along with the prevention of infectious diseases.
Throughout the duration of the project, we focus on nutrition, in addition to preventing infectious diseases. We spend much time cooking for the villagers and teaching them the basics of a healthy diet. The #WaterConnections program is there for them, to offer them a better future and better health, as we believe that it is through clean water that we can accomplish almost anything.
Growing vegetables, generating income through their sale, this is what awaits us in the coming weeks as we cook for the school children every day, helping them adopt better eating habits. This is crucial for them because they represent the future generation, those who will outlive us.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu – The 3rd of March 2024
