Welcome to responsible travel in North Sumatra
Volunteer Your Time
Don't just travel, be part of the change!
Volunteering is a great way to give something back. Get a feel for living and working in the local community. Learn something new or a new skill whilst also helping.
Volunteering is a great way to give something back, but it is also a great way to learn new skills, build experience and knowledge. Volunteer your time, whether it be 1 hour, 1 day or several weeks, it will considerately help and benefit local people, an organisation or communities here in North Sumatra.
Regardless of your motivation to volunteer, you will definately find it rewarding, maybe sometimes challenging, but by the end you will sure leave having made good friends.
As an eco tour operator, Sumatra EcoVentures it is important for us to be actively support and be involved in the local community. We help and support a local Eco-Farm, which grows organic fruit and vegetables and is starting permaculture and has recently started a big compost project. You can volunteer at the farm or help out at the local community gardenand compost house.
We have also partnered with a Bukit Lawang Education Trust Centre, which runs a volunteering program teaching English to children in the afternoons. We also happily support Green Class - Bukit Lawang, which provides environmental classes to local children and is always in need of English speaking volunteers.
You can visit or volunteer your time at any of these places during your stay in Bukit Lawang, or as part of a tour or holiday. It is also possible to stay and volunteer for extended periods and make the most out of the volunteering experience.
Sumatra EcoVentures is happy to support these places, because we believe they are worthy programs. Teaching local children and reaching out to the community about ecological farming, environmental issues, conservation and local issues is necessary for the preservation and future of the environment, nature and wildlife here.
Take a look below at the programs and opportunites available.
We are proud members of Pack for a Purpose. An initiative that allows travelers like you to make a lasting impact in the community at your travel destination.
If you save just a few kilos of space in your suitcase and take supplies for the projects we support in need, you’ll make a priceless impact in the lives of our local children and families. Please click here to see what supplies are needed for our project/projects.
Before Your Trip
Erna's Eco-Farm & Community Garden
Erna's Eco-farm is located in Landbau, about 30 minutes by becak from Bukit Lawang.
The farm is small and is managed and run by a lovely lady called Erna and her husband. The eco-farm is surrounded by rice paddies and agro-forests with mountains in the distance. The eco-farm is a short distance from her homestay and the communal garden is within walking distance.
Erna started focusing on her land 10 years ago and with the help of the Ruffort Foundation 4 years ago, was able to develop the farm as organic. The farm is in the initial stages of becoming a productive ecological farm which aims to create a sustainable land management system to encourage economic growth and biodiversity.
There currently lots of fruit trees on the farm as well as a developing spice garden and Erna grows seasonal vegetables. Erna future plans include working with volunteers and people with knowledge of organic and permaculture farming, to develop school sessions at the farm, to open the farm to the local people and travellers, so they can learn about her farm and how she is trying to develop the farm as a productive and educational farm.
How you can help?
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Volunteer - As Erna and her husband have no local help, she needs the help of willing volunteers to help with the day-to day tasks, planting and developing the farm, or helping out at the community garden. Erna would love if you could come and help for a morning or several mornings. Learn about the local fruit, vegetables, spices and medicinal plants and their uses. Enjoy a fresh young coconut juice, straight from the tree.
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Pack for Purpose - find space in you backpack to bring gardening accessories or supplies. There are so many things that are available in thr Uk, Europe or USA that you just can not get here, like; certain seeds, small gardeing tools, gardening gloves, plant tags etc. Contact us at sumecoventures@gmail.com if you're interested in helping.
Want to help for a few weeks?... join the volunteer program through the Bukit Lawang Trust Centre.
Don't want to Volunteer but would like to visit Erna's Farm, then join the Eco-Farm Tour
Details
Where:
Erna's Eco-Farm or Community Garden, Landbau - near Bukit Lawang
Skills:
To work with local people
To work alone
Hard-working
Work in hot conditions
Helpful Knowledge:
Gardening, planting, seeding, composting, organic, permaculture, fruit, vegetables
Suitable For:
Solo travellers, couples, families
Opportunities:
1 day to 2 months
Follow Erna's EcoFarm on Facebook
Volunteer planting seeds at Erna's EcoFarm
View of Erna's Eco-farm with the Leuser mountains in the background
Two volunteers helping Erna develop the spice garden
Volunteer planting seeds at Erna's EcoFarm
Bukit Lawang Education Trust Centre
The Bukit Lawang Trust is a non-profit organisation, established in 2003 after the big flood event. The Education Centre offers free kindergarten lessons every morning during the week and free English and Nature lessons for young people and adults in the afternoons.
The Richard Cann Reading Room is a library dedicated to learning about Conservation and Wildlife. The aim of the Education Centre is to enhance the education of the local community in Bukit Lawang and surrounding villages.
The Education Centre currently has about 200 children atttend throughout the week, coming from all the surrounding villages. English and Nature classes run for 1 hour each, having 2 classes each afternoon. The Trust employs a couple of local teachers to teach English but relies on Volunteers to come and help.
How you can help?
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Join our market and school tour during which you will buy some fruit at the local market then visit the education centre after to give the fruit out to the Kindergarten children. Thus, encouraging them to eat fruit as a healthy snack. Some of the families may not even be able to afford to buy fruit for their children.
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Pack for a Purpose Initiative - find space in your backpack or buy supplies for the centre locally and hand them out to the children. They are always so happy to receive gifts. This is what the centre needs.
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Volunteer - come and help teach for the afternoon, join in with the afternoon activities or join nature class at Erna's farm. Or if you have something that you would like to teach that you think the children would like, such as handicrafts, recycling/upcycling ideas, dancing or games, then get in touch and we can pre-organise this with the local teachers
Want to volunteer for longer? Join the volunteer program at the Education Centre. Come and help for a couple of days or a few weeks. The cost of the volunteer program go towards paying local salaries and day-to-day running costs.
Details
Where:
Bukit Lawang Education Trust, Gotong Royong - 10 mins from Bukit Lawang
Skills:
Work with local people
Speak English
TEFL certificate
Creative
Helpful Knowledge:
Indonesian language, teaching english, conservation, environment, nature, animals
Suitable For:
Solo travellers and couples
Opportunities:
1 day to 2 months
Follow the Trust on
Guests buy and bring fruit to Kindergarten for the children to enjoy
Louise joins an afternoon class to help with the volunteers
Volunteer Charlie giving an English lesson
Guests buy and bring fruit to Kindergarten for the children to enjoy
Green Class
Green Class - Bukit Lawang started 5 years ago by a local man called Masno.
It is located in Gotong Royong in a simple wooden gazebo. Green Class do not have any sponsor so relies on donations and volunteers. Currently, Project Wings an organisation from Germany supports the program.
The class runs every Thursday for free and has about 60 - 70 children which come from the local village. Green Classes is aimed at teaching children about the environment and to inspire them to protect the jungle here. They are taught about the importance of recycling through craft activities. The children are also taught about local cultures and traditions of dance, music and singing which are in a danger of being lost.
Sometimes the classes are used for teaching basic English but they desperately need English speaking volunteers or teachers for this.
How you can help?
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Volunteer - Come and help for the afternoon, join in with the activities and interact with the children. They love people to visit them.
If your an English teacher, have a TEFL certificate or feel as though you can give an English lesson, please get in touch. It is so important for these children to have the opportunity to learn some English.
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Pack for Purpose Initiative - As there is no funding, the children and the classes are desperate for supplies. Find space in your backpack or buy locally, they would appreciate anything educational or stationay. Click here to see what they need.
Details
Where:
Shelter, Gotong Royong
Skills:
Work with local people
Speak English
Creative
Handi-craft
Helpful Knowledge:
Indonesian language, teaching english, conservation, environment, nature, animals
Suitable For:
Solo travellers, couples and families
Opportunities:
1 day or once every week
Follow Green Class
local children sitting and learning at Green Class- Bukit Lawang
Describe your image
Louise giving out books, pens donated by guests to the children at Green Class
local children sitting and learning at Green Class- Bukit Lawang
Why Travel with Us?
