The house of Sungai Pinang

Hello everyone,

We are two girls from Europe who've been fortunate enough to come across a place with a dream, a dream we've come to share during our time there: to give the next generation a proper education and opportunity in a place where so much potential and talent is left untouched. Allow us to explain:

Last summer we went on a volunteering trip to a remote village (Sungai Pinang) off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. We stayed at Ricky's Beach House, a small bungalow center right next to the village. It is a place for both local and foreign tourists to spend some time enjoying the high life, and for volunteers to relax after work. There is also a sea turtle conservation program here, where young sea turtles are taken in to strengthen and grow, so they have a much better chance of surviving their first crucial years in the ocean.

Since the founding of the Beach House in 2016, the local village has seen tremendous progress. Whereas before the main source of income mostly came from fishing, which was barely enough to sustain everyone, now there is enough money to send children to school and receive a basic education. Volunteers such as us give children the chance to learn English, which exponentially expands their options for future education and work opportunities. The children here are incredibly eager to learn, as we've experienced firsthand. Always willing to listen and provide answers in class, and even voluntarily showing up to additional English lessons after school!

In the village there already is a project that is really successful, the Sumatra Sea Turtle Conservation (SSTC). This project was formed in march 2016 to save and develop the vulnerable sea turtle population. The villagers of Sungai Pinang are mostly fishermen and boat builders, so they used the sea for many years. Unfortunately the way they have been using the sea is not really environment friendly, so the SSTC managed to change their way of living so the turtles will have a save sea to live. They cleaned the beaches from plastic with the children, so the next generation learns more about the environment.

It is however not all bliss. An income based on tourism is notoriously unreliable (looking at you Covid) and while a basic education can do a whole lot of good, the village lacks the resources to allow the children to explore their talents and bring their knowledge of the world to the next level. That is where this campaign comes in.

Ricky and many other locals have always had a dream of building a proper education center in his village. A place where both local teachers and volunteers can provide a much more in-depth education to the next generation, and hopefully many generations after. Proper resources like notebooks, textbooks, laptops, whiteboards, and other educational tools. Classrooms that are properly ventilated (it can get hot out here!), a beautiful playground for recess, maybe even science labs or libraries.

Our main goal is to build the education center. But after we raised enough money, we want to work closely together with the SSTC , so the village will teach their children how to take care of their environment en sea live.

Our time here has shown us the beauty of a project like this, and how much good it can do for this place. We want to help make this dream come true, but in turn we need your help. Sadly a place like this is expensive to build, too expensive for the locals to finance, even with the Beach House. If you want to lend a hand, this is the place to do it. Any amount donated would be greatly appreciated. Of course, so would spreading the word! Oh, and you might even consider becoming a volunteer here yourself ;)

For interest in volunteering and helping the children please contact: https://www.vrijwilligwereldwijd.nl/

If you want to follow this project and see where your money goes, or if you want more information about this place, follow our Instagram page @thehouseofsungaipinang.

You can also contact us on Instagram or send us an e-mail if you have any questions: @alinebuermans @veerstaalx.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for your support.

Terima kasih, sampai jumpa lagi.