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Indonesia is home to over 261 million people, dispersed over 300 ethnic groups - with citizens speaking many different languages. More that 28 million Indonesians still live below the poverty line and approximately 40% of the population remains vulnerable of falling into poverty, as their income hovers marginally above the national poverty line.
Although the majority of the population lives across the five main islands, there are over 17,000 islands in Indonesia. Since the country is composed primarily of rural areas, connectivity and accessibility are limited, especially for disadvantaged areas such as peripheral, border and coastal areas and small islands. Of Indonesia’s 514 districts, almost a quarter, or equivalent to 122 districts that still lag are mostly located in eastern Indonesia. Secluded from the outside world, transport facilities such as asphalt roads, docks and bridges are minimal and often almost nonexistent, resulting in scarcity of staples and high prices of necessary goods. |
Voyages of Aloha
It goes without saying the needs in Indonesia are numerous; especially when the country consists of thousands of islands surround by salt water- making fresh water as scarce as it is a very coveted commodity. And while there have been many attempts to navigate these islands,
if simply to identify the water needs of each village, as well as figuring out how to get the various supplies and materials to them, not excluding overcoming the nuances of every single excursion, it goes without saying that the task can be daunting, if not overwhelming.
But thanks to the joint effort of Voyages of Aloha and The Michelle Chiou Foundation, the task has been made a little easier. For not only has their partnership resulted in more supplies, manpower, and boats being navigated to their most needed locations in the islands,
it has resulted in more rainwater catchment systems being installed.
if simply to identify the water needs of each village, as well as figuring out how to get the various supplies and materials to them, not excluding overcoming the nuances of every single excursion, it goes without saying that the task can be daunting, if not overwhelming.
But thanks to the joint effort of Voyages of Aloha and The Michelle Chiou Foundation, the task has been made a little easier. For not only has their partnership resulted in more supplies, manpower, and boats being navigated to their most needed locations in the islands,
it has resulted in more rainwater catchment systems being installed.
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Concentrating their efforts in the poorest of slums in Makassar City, Indonesia, The Michelle Chiou Foundation, through Voyages of Aloha, donated funds toward the cost of a trainer specialized in training women who desire to create sewing businesses of various kinds. In addition, funds were also used to breath new life into an otherwise stagnant micro-loan program, allowing money to be vested into the most dedicated of these women who desparately desire to turn their hours of sitting behind a sewing machine into a business.
As a result of their training- learning how to use the sewing machine as well as sew a commercially viable stitch, they are then not only exposed to a variety of products that can be made via their machines, but products that would be found either to be appealing or in demand by the local market. Such product includes shopping bags made from recycled flour bags, bed linens, school uniforms, hijabs, along with anything else the market may be demanding at the time. And part of their training, not only are they taught how to make various products for the marketplace, but beyond writing their required business plans from day one, they're taught how to manage their bookeeping and finances once their businesses get off the ground. |
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