David’s Triumph: Fair Future Foundation’s Truck of Life Battles Extreme Terrain to Rescue Laindatang.
Witness the heroic journey of Fair Future Foundation’s Truck of Life as it delivers hope and necessities to an isolated village, braving perilous landscapes. A powerful story of determination and courage in the fight for a better tomorrow.
On February 18th, something incredible happened. We had to keep an eye on the weather to ensure that the first three trucks loaded with construction materials, totaling about 50 tons of equipment and supplies, including sand, 100 bags of cement, thousands of bricks, scrap metal, sheet metal, and light steel bars, among other items, could be delivered to the Laindatang site as part of the #WaterConnections program.
As you know, access to Laindatang is strictly impossible. It’s already challenging for the Truck of Life and dirt bikes. But for trucks, it’s extreme, and all conditions must be just right to make it happen.
For over a week, we had been repairing the roads with the villagers to make them less hazardous! It was another colossal task we tackled together with the villagers, using only steel crowbars as tools.
Around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, when it hadn’t rained much, or just a little in the morning, we learned that the trucks were leaving Waingapu and attempting to reach the village of Laindatang. So, we hurriedly set out around 4 o’clock with the Truck of Life, as we had to be the first to cover the 8 kilometers of narrow paths to get ahead of the trucks. Ayu, Alex, and Primus were on the mission. Ayu accompanied me in the Truck of Life, while Primus rode the foundation’s dirt bike. And then, we waited for the trucks…
The trucks arrived slowly because these 8 kilometers are truly extreme. At one point, as the slope became steeper and more slippery, they got stuck, creating intense moments of stress and adrenaline rushes. They couldn’t move forward or turn around; one even had a problem with its brakes, with the handbrake breaking. It was extremely dangerous, and we were truly scared because the slope was very steep, tilted, and there were cliffs; the risks were immense. The ground was white stone, and when it’s wet, it’s like snow, incredibly slippery.
So, the Truck of Life, until 11 o’clock at night, had to tow these trucks in sometimes desperate maneuvers. These trucks were maybe carrying around twenty tons, I’m not sure. And the Truck of Life, weighing just two tons, with tow ropes capable of withstanding 5 tons of traction, pulled them up the slope, helped them climb. At one point, the towing straps snapped with a sharp, cracking sound like a gunshot.
Fortunately, no one was nearby because it could have been very serious. The Truck of Life and Alex repeated this operation three times until midnight. And after hours of immensely intense effort and stress, the three trucks and the Truck of Life finally made it to the various construction sites. We still had to unload the materials with the village members.
For the trucks, it was time to return. Going downhill was less of a problem. Plus, the slippery and very steep paths had dried up relatively, making it easier…
This story is like David against Goliath! Trucks weighing over 15 tons overloaded, against a two-ton, four-wheel-drive all-terrain vehicle. It’s also a beautiful lesson in resilience and collective determination to strive for something good.
This program here in Laindatang means a lot to Fair Future and to Alex personally. But it’s even more important for the over a hundred families and the 78 students aged 6 to 12 who attend the school in Laindatang… A village without water, electricity, sanitation facilities, or access to medical care.
Alex WettsteinΒ β Fair Future FoundationΒ medico-social campΒ in East Sumba βΒ Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu β The 4th of MarchΒ 2024.
