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What you learn by being there
👋 Hello everyone, this is Alex. I'm writing to you from the office, having just returned from Sumba two weeks ago... and already preparing everything to go back. In three days, I'll be back on the road. We load trucks, make lists, pack, check, and repeat the process. In short, the usual routine before several months in the field. How are you all doing?
Although I am not feeling heavy-handed today, the weight of our mission still feels real. We respond to needs, oversee projects, and care deeply for the communities we serve, taking pride in knowing that our work makes a meaningful difference in people's lives.
 To manage very limited resources, we innovate by developing methods to treat illnesses without excessive use of medication. Antibiotics are precious and reserved for situations where there is no other alternative. We use every available resource, learning to disinfect serious wounds with simple soap, a compress, and meticulous care. The expert hand of a Kawan Sehat Health Agent, trained in just a week with us, often proves more valuable than the elusive doctor we may never encounter here.
Our Kawan Against Malaria program underscores our commitment to innovation. Without access to microscopes, rapid tests, or conventional antimalarial treatments, we save lives through proactive prevention, comprehensive education, and a constant presence. We understand the symptoms and essential interventions, and we resolutely fight various diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis, polio, and leprosy. These diseases, which are often treated elsewhere, still pose significant threats here. Yet, thanks to our efforts, it is possible to control them and save lives.
We're also learning how to build vital infrastructure: a 115 m³ water tank and eight smaller tanks, built entirely by hand as part of our Water Connections program. Without electricity or motors, high atop a hill, the combined efforts of our team and the community come together, allowing families to avoid the sometimes six-hour walk to find clean water. Access to water, we're learning, is the most basic medical aid.
 Transportation and logistics challenges? We face them with unwavering determination. We dig and open roads in the landscape with picks and machetes, because our logistics or medical trucks must reach their destinations. Filters, mosquito nets, lamps, bandages, and nutritional supplements are essential goods on which the villages depend.
This is the heart of our commitment.
Doing the most with what we have. Not with the bare minimum, but with the resources we actually possess. And always, we adapt. We adapt to the real needs of the people we support, with intelligence and humanity.
"I believe that abundance is not measured solely in money or material goods, but in impact, in presence, in solidarity, in concrete solutions."
Our approach exemplifies the best of field medicine and logistical ingenuity. It demonstrates collective success and unwavering perseverance. Our interventions promote recovery, survival, and a sense of gratitude. Children thrive, mothers find comfort, and entire families express their gratitude. It is thanks to your continued support—your reading, sharing, contributions, and steadfast partnership—that we continue to make a tangible difference.
With 16 years of dedication to this cause, we draw inspiration from the world-renowned Swiss expertise in precision, quality, and innovation. Their influence strengthens our strategies and reinforces the impact of our efforts.
Thank you for standing by our side as we transform lives together.
I send you all my sincere greetings—Alex, for Fair Future |
