Support Care
Field stories
Field guides
The Fair Future Foundation in East Indonesia combats social and medical injustice and aims to ensure everyone has access to healthcare, clean water, and education. Join us in making a difference.
Fair Future’s vision: supporting healthy lives through clean water, medical care, and education.
We’ve completed two days of project studies in the ultra-rural village of Lapinu and hope to begin a six-month Water Connections program in January 2025. The project will provide clean water infrastructure and a well for nearly 60 families living in extreme isolation. More details to come soon!
The new “Picture of the Day” features the new healthy handwashing facility at Laindatang School. This is the first time such a facility has been built and put into service in a public school. It is part of a unique program aimed at effectively combating infectious diseases in a region greatly affected by health issues, especially those impacting children.
In the Laindatang region, where challenges such as lack of water, electricity, and sanitation are combined with the fight against high rates of infectious diseases like malaria, the Fair Foundation’s #WaterConnections project represents a significant step forward towards improving the living and health conditions of the most vulnerable communities. By inaugurating the first handwashing facility in a local school, we have taken a crucial step in our commitment to ensuring access to essential sanitation services for children, for whom regular hygiene practice has been a rarity until now.
This sanitary facility comprises eight sinks, six visible in the shared image, and two are located in new healthy sanitary facilities built by our team. It marks a turning point in Laindatang’s children’s daily lives. Previously, the opportunity to wash their hands was a luxury, with families having to walk long distances to the nearest river for water. This journey could only be done every two weeks or, in some cases, once a month. In the dry season, these challenges become even more overwhelming, further limiting access to water for basic needs.
The project is not limited to providing convenient access to water for handwashing; it is also a head-on fight against infectious diseases that have long afflicted the community, particularly malaria. By introducing these handwashing facilities, the Fair Future Foundation aims to introduce vital hygiene practices that can significantly reduce the spread of infections. This effort is even more critical in a region where children and families face the threat of life-threatening illnesses every day.
Beyond improving hygiene, this project highlights our commitment to sustainable development and community involvement. By working hand-in-hand with residents and tailoring our solutions to Laindatang’s specific challenges, we ensure that the benefits of these facilities will endure over time and continue to serve future generations.
Through the #WaterConnections project and similar initiatives, the Fair Future Foundation reaffirms its dedication to building a future where access to clean water, sanitation, and healthy living conditions is no longer a barrier to the health and well-being of the poorest communities in Southeast Asia. Our actions on the ground, guided by an in-depth knowledge of local needs and a desire to create a lasting impact, allow us to bring these communities closer to a healthier and safer future every day. Together, we are creating a future where every child has the fundamental right to clean water and good health.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu – The 27th of March 2024
The teams of Fair Future and Kawan Baik are highly respected for their steadfast dedication to assisting ill and underprivileged individuals residing in far-flung rural areas of eastern Indonesia. Their selflessness holds true significance to them. However, it's not widely known that their medical and social teams put in tireless efforts, even during nighttime and 7-day workweeks. Through this new "Picture of the Day," we offer you the opportunity to witness their work as they combat health issues like malaria, unsafe water, and malnutrition while sacrificing their sleep.
Diseases can strike at any time, even in the darkness of night. The teams, equipped with masks and Sumba coffee, fight against these illnesses. And during this time of the malaria epidemic, doctors, nurses and volunteers are working tirelessly to provide treatment to patients.
Their dedication and passion go above and beyond the call of duty, even working late into the night to provide lifesaving care. They save lives and do so with unwavering energy and enthusiasm.
On the spot, at all hours of the day or night, they not only treat the symptoms, they also attack the root causes of health problems. Fair Future and Kawan Baik foundation fight against diseases related to dirty water by providing facilities through the #waterconnections program and raising awareness in communities about the importance of hygiene. Their mission is to make communities more resilient and prevent diseases before they even appear.
Even when faced with difficult challenges and trying situations, the teams remain resilient and optimistic. Their sense of humor is a crucial component that aids them in overcoming tough times. It also fosters a strong bond between them, enabling them to maintain a positive outlook.
Alex Wettstein shares a few words about the Foundation's medical and social teams, who work tirelessly to help people who are sick or have urgent needs.
Check out the latest addition to our "Photo of the Day" collection featuring our colleague Kawean Essi. In the village of Mbinudita (East Sumba), Kawan Essi teaches a hundred villagers of all ages, including children, about the importance of clean and safe water and how it can lead to a healthier life. The "Water Connections" program is a practical approach to fight against various infectious diseases, such as malaria.
In the fight against malaria, it's essential to acknowledge the progress made. However, we must also recognize the crucial role of hygiene, clean water, and sanitation in eliminating this disease. This is why the Water Connections program exists – to provide access to these necessities.
At Fair Future, we understand that improving these fundamental aspects of daily life can significantly prevent malaria transmission and ultimately save lives. Addressing issues such as hygiene, water, and sanitation is crucial in the fight against malaria because they directly impact mosquito breeding, access to clean water, hygiene practices, and vector management.
We prioritize these issues in all our activities, particularly in implementing the "Malaria Prevention Initiative Sumba Timur 2023" program, which we aim to start as soon as possible as part of the PMC, Primary Medical Care program.
Together, we can dramatically reduce malaria transmission and improve the health and well-being of affected communities. We must prioritize these efforts to save lives, prevent unnecessary suffering, and move towards a significant decrease in malaria cases, especially here in Sumba, where we currently are.
We have distributed our healthy living posters to local Puskesmas (health centers), and their directors were delighted. The posters are engaging and easy to comprehend, incorporating local characters and language. Teaching rural communities simple methods for disease prevention, such as handwashing, is truly rewarding.
Renovating unsafe school toilets and improving clean water and hygiene in rural East Sumba reduces sanitation-related health risks and creates safer learning environments.
In ultra-rural regions of Eastern Indonesia, malaria is more than a disease; it’s a systemic issue impeding community development. Fair Future Foundation’s #ZeroMalaria program tackles this crisis head-on with a unique, comprehensive approach. From preventive education to providing immediate healthcare, we are dedicated to breaking the chain of…
Laindatang in East Sumba, no clean water and no sanitation facilities. Fair Future changes this reality and brings about a remarkable transformation. A monumental journey that promises to revolutionize the future of this ultra-rural community. They don’t just build buildings, they create hope and opportunity.
Fair Future Foundation, in collaboration with Kawan Baik Indonesia and Sumba Volunteer, is working to combat malaria in the highly affected region of East Sumba, Indonesia. Through their program, they aim to provide screening, prevention, and treatment to the remote village of Laindatang.
This new "Picture of the Day" displays a gathering of children in one of the homes in the remote village of Mbatapuhu, East Sumba. Our dedicated socio-medical team educates them on the importance of self-care, utilizing the "Kawan Sehat" guidebook. This village is situated in a challenging location with no access to electricity, clean water, or sanitation facilities. The nearest medical centre is over two hours away by motorbike or a gruelling six-hour walk. The villagers rely on nature for their restroom needs. Unfortunately, due to poor hygiene practices, malaria has become a significant issue. Additionally, malnutrition is a primary concern in this impoverished and rural community.
In the remote villages of East Sumba, the Fair Future Foundation conducts information sessions for children under the "Kawan Sehat" program during every visit. We collaborate with members of these rural communities to disseminate crucial information on maintaining good health, accessing better healthcare, and protecting oneself from diseases like malaria and dengue fever. These sessions, which are both informative and fun, equip children with the knowledge they need to lead healthier, more promising lives.
Malaria and dengue fever are grave illnesses that frequently afflict the rural areas of East Sumba. Through these sessions, we educate children on preventive measures such as using insecticide-treated bed nets, eliminating stagnant water and seeking medical assistance immediately upon experiencing symptoms. Through promoting this knowledge, we hope to significantly reduce the incidence of these diseases and safeguard children's health. The "Malaria Prevention Initiative Sumba Timur 2023" program was launched to combat malaria.
These sessions are not limited to specific illnesses but also cover topics such as personal hygiene, balanced nutrition, and healthy lifestyles. Children are encouraged to adopt positive habits like handwashing, consuming nutritious foods, and exercising. By incorporating such practices into their daily lives, they can develop more robust, healthier, and resilient bodies.
The Fair Future and Kawan Baik teams empower children and strengthen entire communities by providing vital information on disease prevention and healthy habits.
This new "Picture of the Day" shows you a brave but sad mom who asks for care for her little boy. She is a courageous but sad mother who seeks care for her little boy, who suffers from Malaria. With pain and more than 40 fever, He is the example of the "typical patient" here: Under five years old, this family lives in an ultra-rural and marginalized area. She is poor, and they don't have access to medical care or enough food and clean water; They don't have toilets either. Moreover, the whole village does not have access to electricity.
The medical staff of Kawan Baik and Fair Future Foundation bring him relief and medicine to lower his fever and get better as soon as possible. We also talk to the mother and give her good advice.
Let me re-explain to you what malaria is and why this disease is hazardous, and the categories of people it affects in the first place:
Malaria is caused by parasites transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. Although anyone can get malaria, specific categories of people are more susceptible to severe illness and complications. We find that the impact of malaria varies by geographic region and local health infrastructure. Our efforts to fight malaria focus on prevention through measures such as the establishment of the Primary Medical Care Program (PMC), mosquito nets, spraying in villages (fogging), and learning to wash with an "ani-malaria or disinfectant" soap, among others.
1. First, children under five: This is because young children have a weaker immune system and have not yet developed immunity to disease. They are more likely to have serious symptoms and complications, including severe anaemia and cerebral malaria, which can be life-threatening. This is the case here: Infant mortality is very high in ultra-rural areas and marginalized populations of East Sumba.
2. But also pregnant women: Of course, malaria can have adverse effects on both the mother and the unborn child. Pregnant women are at an increased risk of developing severe malaria, leading to complications such as maternal anaemia, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth or low birth weight infants. I spoke to you about a similar case in Kabanda, right?
Public health interventions to provide vital advice to the most affected populations via the #kawansehat program are essential. You have to be close to people if you want to advise them on the best way to have a healthier life.
3. Ultra-rural and marginalized populations: Communities living in rural and remote areas, often with limited access to health care, such as here in East Sumba, are disproportionately affected by malaria. Factors such as poverty, lack of knowledge about preventive measures and limited access to health services contribute to malaria's higher prevalence and impact in these communities.
4. Immunocompromised people: People with weakened immune systems, such as those living with HIV/AIDS, are more likely to contract severe malaria. We are also talking about people with chronic illnesses. Malaria can also aggravate the progression of HIV infection. And concerning the rate of HIV-positive people here is also very high, even with very few tests being conducted.
Sleep is not just a form of rest; it’s the foundation of good health. It enhances mental clarity, fortifies your physical state, and stabilizes emotions. Discover how getting quality sleep can improve memory retention, alleviate stress, and aid in physical recovery—helping you lead a healthier and more fulfilling life.
