Greetings from Indonesia
It is raining day in and day out in Indonesia.
The seedlings require less care in the rainy season. We have taken advantage of this break to concentrate on another component of the project: delivering electricity and water to the villages.
At the end of February, we completed the installation of a pico-hydro power generator in the village, using the river flowing from the national park.
Pico-hydro power generator
This tiny power generator produces 0.5 kilowatts of electricity, which is delivered to the six families living in Tange.
The forests of the national park, at the source of the river, store rain in their rich soil to create the stable water flow needed to generate power. The water flow creates power. That is, the lamps lighted at every home in Tange are in fact a bounty of the forests.
Pico-hydro power generator
Although Indonesia enjoys an abundance of rain, showers do not come everyday in amounts needed to sustain a living. The rain that does fall on the vast forest land is absorbed into the earth, gushes out, and flows in the river. In villages without water pipes, residents must go to the river and fetch the fresh water they need in daily life.
The project has worked to deliver fresh and clean water to some of these villages. We held a series of discussions with the villagers and built a set of rules together. As many as 150 people attended the signing ceremony held by the national park and the villages.
Fresh and clean water supply
Having completed a variety of preparations, the villages at last have access to water—fresh and clean water that flows through the 5-kilometer-long pipe that we and the villagers set up from the water source. The fresh water enriches the villagers' lives, and at the same time teaches them the importance of the forests.
Fresh and clean water supply
For major events like this, each village organizes a simple ceremony according to traditional customs. Either chickens or goats are offered, and everyone joins in a prayer for safety and success led by the village head.
Village ceremony
