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March 10, 2021

Food & Literacy Relief For Nusa Lembongan – Update 2

Food & Literacy Relief For Lembongan Update

11^th March 2021

Firstly, we have been overwhelmed by the support and generosity of our extended Lembongan Traveller network and we THANK YOU on behalf of the Lembongan community. This kindness has been echoed repeatedly by so many people in the last two weeks and also when we did our first “Food for Lembongan” fundraiser in April 2020 and our latest Food & Literacy Relief For Nusa Lembongan. It has shown, no donation is too small and together we can make a difference.

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We have raised over $36,000 across both campaigns for the Lembongan community and reached over 1200 families, with more people to receive in the coming weeks. This is an outstanding achievement, a true testament to this special island and it’s incredible people for leaving an imprint on our hearts. This has been an opportunity for us all to acknowledge their act of kindness of sharing their island home with us, always welcoming visitors with open hearts and the most wonderful hospitality.

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Thanks to your generosity, the current Food & Literacy Relief For Nusa Lembongan campaign has raised over $20,000 in two weeks. We implemented Stage 1 with deliveries this week of 400 food packages consisting of rice, noodles, sugar and oil, these supplies were purchased from local Warungs on Lembongan.

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Food packages were delivered to the Kepala Desa ( Village head) of Jungut Batu and Lembongan villages who then in turn will work with the Banjars of each village to ensure the packages go to those most in need. There are 4 Banjars in Jungut Batu and 6 in Lembongan which includes Nusa Ceningan.

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The Lembongan Traveller have partnered with Bali Children Foundation (BCF), a relationship which started in 2016 when we fundraised after the Yellow Bridge collapse. We are grateful for the support and guidance they provide from their experienced team who are committed to the prosperity of the Lembongan community. BCF are particularly focussed on developing education and environment based programs. We were honoured this week to be joined by BCF founder, Margaret Barry to assist with the distribution and hear her views on how we can keep driving support of the local community.

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GOING FORWARD…..

Our meeting with Margaret from Bali Children Foundation gave us the opportunity to discuss and plan initiatives moving forward and how to utilise the funds raised for maximum benefit of the community. It will be an evolving discussion as the situation unfolds, vaccinations roll out, how plans for return of tourism play-out and the impact these changes have on the local community in the short and medium term.

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Food Relief….

We plan to do another food distribution in April, we will re-assess then the items to be included as there is currently reasonable supply of fresh produce with many people farming during the wet season, however this will change as the rains end.

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Literacy Relief….

Primary schools on Lembongan have been closed since March 2020 and online learning has been done via Whats App. Therefore the children who were meant to start Grade 1 in July 2020 haven’t actually “been” to school yet and along with their Grades 2 and 3 class mates have missed crucial literacy learning.

We have committed financial support to Bali Children Foundation for the development of a Literacy curriculum ( in Indonesian) aimed at Grades 1, 2 & 3. This curriculum will be used by BCF across 5 different regions in Bali, including Nusa Lembongan. BCF teachers, who are already based on Lembongan and implement BCF education programs within the schools will provide 2 after-school classes / week for each child, they will also develop a socialisation program and other initiatives to incentivise parents to encourage their children to attend these classes. The Lembongan Traveller’s fundraising campaign will support these initiatives as we see it fundamental to the future education of this younger generation to receive basic literacy learning.

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We have reviewed the framework which is being used as the structure for the syllabus and the beginnings of the class modules, 16 weeks each with two modules. This dedicated literacy syllabus is being developed by BCF in parallel to the standard Indonesian primary curriculum so that resources and learning is maximised.

Currently, schools are aiming to re-open once teachers are vaccinated, for the beginning of the school year in July. It is being suggested by the Education department that they will initially go back at 50% capacity until further community based vaccination programs are completed.

It is BCF’s aim to start the Literacy program in July with the re-opening of schools on Nusa Lembongan.

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We THANK YOU again for all your support to help the Lembongan community navigate their way through these difficult times.

February 23, 2021

Food & Literacy Relief for Lembongan

COVID has now been with us for nearly 12 months, it has impacted every corner of the globe.

For the Lembongan locals it is likely to be the biggest and most far reaching challenge of their lifetime. With tourism responsible for majority of income and driving private enterprise, the island has been at a standstill since March 2020. We hope our fundraiser for Food and Literacy Relief for Lembongan will bring some much needed support to the community.

We (Mal & Tania Walker) returned to Lembongan in early January this year and have spent the last 6 weeks seeing first hand the enormous impact the pandemic has had here and will continue to have until international travel resumes.

The personal struggles and closure of 95% of businesses is heartbreaking: there is no government support or safety net, for the few that have remained employed they are on reduced base salaries and with no service which often makes up 50% of their income.

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FOOD

The ability to put food on the table has become challenging for so many. Our aim is to deliver food packages of staples ( rice, oil, sugar, noodles) to as many families as possible. We can assure you, your contributions to this fundraising effort will be received with the greatest of gratitude by the Lembongan community.

The landscape has changed dramatically, the most cost effective staple for families are tempeh, tofu, eggs and rice which they also mix with corn and cassava to bulk up rice supplies.

For most of the population consumption of chicken and fish has decreased considerably. Fishing by boat is now not an option for many simply because they can not afford the fuel. Therefore many people are only using canoes, SUP boards and even tyre rings to fish, which impacts where they can fish (only inside the reef) and consequently resulting in smaller varieties and quantities.

The Food and Literacy Relief for Lembongan fundraiser will work with the 10 Banjars (villages) across both Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan to facilitate distribution to those most in need.

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LITERACY

On our return to Lembongan, after spending time with both friends and our staff, who all have school age children, it became apparent to us very quickly that education was another area that has been hugely impacted. With primary schools having been closed since March 2020 and online learning being conducted via Whats App. We feel the 6 – 8 year olds on the island have missed out on vital learning of basic Indonesian literacy which is crucial during Grades 1, 2 & 3.

We have the commitment of our charity partners, Bali Children Foundation (BCF), to develop an Indonesian Literacy Curriculum for these grades and provide teachers to facilitate the learning in extra after school classes once schools re-open, which is currently planned for July.

Our aim is to raise enough funds to provide the 444 children in Grades 1, 2 & 3 across the 5 primary schools, with a pictorial Indonesian dictionary.

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DONATIONS

We understand it has been an extremely difficult 12 months for so many people, COVID has not discriminated, this horrendous infectious virus has infiltrated the lives of everyone in every country on the planet.

Its impact on our daily lives has been immense, however our ability to survive with it around us is dependent on where we live in this global space and the industry we are reliant on. If you are in a position to donate as little as $10, this contribution will go a long way to helping the Lembongan locals. To help with the context, $10 will buy a 10kg bag of rice, which is not grown on Nusa Lembongan.

Your donations will go direct to the Lembongan Community. Our first priority is to provide as many food packages as possible, whilst in the background give the team at BCF time to work on the literacy curriculum, ready for implementation in July and, fingers crossed, also have enough funds to provide each child with a dictionary.

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THE PEOPLE

As harsh as the situation is currently and will be for some time yet, the local community remain humble, have shown incredible resilience and admirable efforts to pivot their skills where possible.

We are so proud to be a small part of this wonderful community. It is with heavy hearts of the reality here that we have decided to reach out to our networks in an effort to raise money to give them hope and some relief in the journey ahead.

Thank YOU for your ongoing love & support for the Lembongan community.

Kind regards

Mal, Tania & The Lembongan Traveller Team

October 21, 2020

Seaweed Farming returns to Lembongan

Seaweed Farming returns to Lembongan

COVID-19 has brought about many changes to our world as we knew it. No truer for the local people of Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan. As most of the population’s income was previously directly or indirectly derived from tourism, COVID-19 has caused some serious challenges.

In the typical spirit of the locals, whose Hindu faith always guides their journey, they looked within their own shores for opportunities to generate an income. A businessman from Surabaya introduced seaweed farming to Lembongan in 1984, with the first cultivations taking place in Jungut Batu Bay. It was not so long ago (for many only 10 years), that seaweed farming was a major incomer earner for many people. You too may remember the patch work of plots that created the ocean landscape in Jungut Batu, the Mangrove and in the channel between Lembongan & Ceningan. For people who have been visiting the islands prior to 2010 seaweed farms, the harvesting process and drying in preparation for sale are iconic island memories.

As a result, seaweed farming in Lembongan has now re-emerged and the older generation have been key to helping re-establish it as a sustainable industry, educating and passing on their knowledge to younger family members who have only known tourism as an income stream.

The locals are realistic in their optimism for the return of tourism, understanding it will not recover quickly. As tourism has as good as disappeared for the last 6 months the demand for seaweed seedlings and dried product is on a steady increase.

However not everyone is a seaweed farmer or knows how to cultivate seaweed. The Lembongan Traveller’s Digital Marketing Manager spent a few days with some of the local seaweed farmers to gain an insight to the industry and techniques used so we could share the process with you.

Type of Seaweed

There are many types of seaweed that can be grown in Nusa Lembongan, one of which is green Katoni (eucheuma cottoni) seaweed which is commonly grown in the area around the Mangrove, other varieties are grown in Nusa Ceningan.

Katoni seaweed

Setting up a Seaweed Farm

The farmers initially buy seaweed seeds from Nusa Penida a 5 meter lengths of rope. They then plant it on their ocean “land” to create a “box” which range in size, but are usually around 5 x 50 metres. Each seaweed farm “box” is made up of rows of wooden supports and ropes. The seaweed seedlings are attached to these rows. The “box” contains approximately 100 bundles of seaweed. It is very important that the ocean space chosen is accessible during high and low tide, this change of tide and water flow is also very important to the growth and productivity of the crop. Each “box” is marked with flags attached to wooden stakes. Farmers attend their box daily at low tide between harvest times to check on any damage that may have been caused during high tide.

Harvesting

Seaweed can be harvested 30 days after planting and is usually harvested every full moon or new moon. Two crops are planted within a month so farmers will harvest every 15 days. Depending on the size of the each famer’s box, it can take up to 10 days for the harvesting process as this is generally done in the mornings on low tides. However, when low tides fall in the middle of the night farmers will spend midnight hours with head torches attending, it is a laborious and not for the faint hearted, as farmers are constantly exposed to the elements and weather. In the mornings they cut the seaweed to take it ashore and in the afternoon low tide they create new seedling rows for the next harvest. Traditional Jukung boats are used by farmers to access their plots and transport the seaweed.

The farmers using traditional boat to bring the seaweeds seed to the “box” in the middle of ocean.

At the time of harvesting, the seaweed will have grown to 3 times the size of when it was first attached to the ropes. During each harvest all of the seaweed from the rope supports are removed to be sorted, smaller & damages pieces are set aside for drying and more established growths are re-attached together in bundles of 2-3 pieces along the supports for the next months harvest.

: Seaweed being attached in bundles to the rope

: Rope

: Small seaweed

: Damage seaweed

Drying

These smaller and damaged pieces are laid out in the sun to be dried, which takes 3 days

: Day 1

: Day 2

: Day 3

Ready for sale

After drying, farmers will gather the seaweed to sell to a “seaweed collector”. The “seaweed collectors” live on Lembongan and then transport it to Nusa Penida where it is on sold to export traders to make its way to be used in cosmetics. Usually farmers can produce 400kg of dry seaweed, per month which currently sells for IDR 12,000 / kg. There is also the opportunity for them to sell seedlings to new seaweed farmers, the price of 100 seedlings is around IDR 5 million.

Seaweed farming into the future

We are excited to see so many locals re-entering the seaweed farming industry and hope it will continue well into the future to operate in unison with tourism when travel resumes. The Lembongan Traveller is here to support the Lembongan & Ceningan seaweed farming industry and its prosperity. This unique way of farming requires no pesticides or fertilizers. Seaweed cultivation also provides environmental benefits including:

Absorbing carbon dioxide ( green house gas) – one hectare of sea can be used to produce annually 40 tonnes of dry seaweed which will absorb 20+ tonnes of green house gas during cultivation
Wastes can be used as fertilizers for land based agriculture
Seaweed can only be grown in a healthy environment, so seaweed farmers will actively participate in maintaining beach and foreshore cleanliness

We are keen to support the community with looking into more opportunities for seaweed farmers and collectors, such as potentially providing seaweed for products being developed by Evoware – edible cups and packaging made from seaweed….we have contacted them to see if Lembongan’s seaweed is combatable.

COVID-19 & Seaweed Farming unite

Katoni seaweed is a source of carrageenan, a gelling agent in both foods and cosmetics. This brings a twist that could see COVID-19 and Lembongan seaweed farmers unite as it can be used in the production of hand santizer. See link below to an article that includes a method of making santizer using seaweed:

https://sustainableresponsibleliving.com/2020/02/29/how-to-make-your-own-hand-sanitizer/

photo credit @balichildrenfoundation and @oteseptiawan

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October 20, 2020

The Gift of Giving – Together we made a difference

In mid April this year it was becoming more and more apparent that it was not COVID-19 the virus, but the economic impact that is the greatest threat to the people of Bali & Lembongan. We felt compelled to rally our community of loyal Lembongan lovers and action the gift of giving, to help assist families on Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. With tourism and the local economy being brought to a stand still due to COVID-19, the locals have been severely impacted with wide spread loss of jobs & income. The Lembongan Traveller partnered with Island Protect & Bali Children Foundation to launch the Food For Lembongan Families fundraiser campaign aimed to help as many families as possible.

It has been incredibly humbling to see the generosity of people, considering that no-one has been untouched by COVID-19, people have been digging deep during these difficult to support the Lembongan community. The Lembongan Traveller’s team of staff on the ground in Lembongan have co-ordinated the logistics and distribution, meeting with both Kepala Desa in Lembongan and Jungut Batu villages to ensure we reach the people who are in most need.

T H A N K Y O U to everyone who donated & supported our Food For Lembongan Families fundraiser. Thanks to your generosity we toppled our initial target of $5000 and with $15,000+ funds raised and were able to reach 600 families with Stage 1 of food packages and completed Stage 2 with delivery of fresh vegetables, tempeh & tofu (made locally in Lembongan) to 200 elderly and families with young children.

These packages have been gratefully received and your support has reached so many in the Lembongan community with 800 families receiving packages from Stage 1 & 2 distributions.

The Stage 1 food packages included – 10kg bag rice, noodles, eggs, oil & cloth masks. The masks were made by woman in Bali and the supplies were purchased from over 20 different warungs on Lembongan. Packages were delivered this week to families across 10 Banjars on Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan and included migrant/ non-local workers who do not have the support of family networks.

The locals have sent so many messages of gratitude. Together we made a difference and these photos are a true reminder of the gift of giving. From our Lembongan family to yours THANK YOU again.

August 5, 2020

Food for Lembongan Families – Stage 2

Food for Lembongan Families

Thanks to your donations we have completed Stage 2 with delivery of fresh vegetables, tempeh & tofu (made locally in Lembongan) to 200 elderly and families with young children.

These packages have been gratefully received and your generosity has reached so many in the Lembongan community with 800 families receiving packages from stage 1 & 2 distributions.

A massive thanks must go to The Lembongan Traveller, Tenang Villas, Beach Tonic & Villa Lagarto staff for their incredible dedication & effort in co-ordinating all aspects of distribution for the fundraiser – we are family .

We are privileged to have partnered with Bali Children Foundation & Island Protect who have provided guidance & support throughout the fundraising campaign.

May 4, 2020

Food for Lembongan Families – Update

We asked and you have responded with an overwhelming amount of support for our Food for Lembongan Families fundraiser. THANK YOU to everyone who has donated, showed support and sent messages.

This FOOD FOR LEMBONGAN FAMILIES campaign is aimed to reach as many families as possible by supplying rice, noodles and oil which makes up an integral part of their daily staples. We will keep the fundraiser open so people can continue to make donations.

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Below are updates regarding the campaign, also posted on the fundraiser platform.

From our family to yours we say THANK YOU xx

UPDATE – 12 MAY 2020

We are on our way to getting your generous support to the Lembongan locals. We have ordered 1000 cloth masks ( made in Bali) and are co-ordinating the logistics to arrange 600+ food packages for families, consisting of 10kg bag of rice, noodles, eggs and oil. The plan is to have things in place for an end of May / early June distribution. Thank you again for opening your hearts and digging deep for the Lembongan community.

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UPDATE – 8 MAY 2020

We continue to receive ongoing support and incredible generosity from the wider Lembongan community, which is giving us the means to be able to reach so many families with food packages. We are currently in talks with our key partners, including ; Bali Children Foundation, Island Protect, Head of the Village in Jungut Batu and Lembongan ( which includes Ceningan) to finalise the distribution process, purchases, logistics and timeframes. As we have more details we post further updates. Please be assured ALL funds donated will be used towards supporting the local Lembongan community. Together we are making a difference. Take care and Happy Mothers Day to all our Island loving mummas. Tania & TLT Team xx

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UPDATE – 01 MAY 2020

Hi All, WOW a lot happens in a couple days!! Thanks to your generosity we have surpassed our latest target of $10,000 and are currently on $11,500 (hence the reset of the target to $15,000). This is truly incredible and well beyond any of our expectations. With the current tally we will be able to reach over 550 families with food packages. Please know we are in daily contact with our team and friends in Lembongan and they are so grateful for the out-pouring of support. As there are plans from another fundraiser to do handouts in the week ahead, it has been decided that we wait to do distribution later in May / June, this has been a decision made as a group with consultation with locals and Bali Children Foundation. The road ahead without tourism on Lembongan is going to be hard for them all, we feel it is best to manage the support we can give so it is spread out, rather then given immediately. Thanks again from our family to yours, take care and stay well. TLT Team

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UPDATE – 28 APR 2020

THANK YOU & huge virtual hugs to everyone who has donated. These are difficult times for everyone, but you have all shown so much support and spirit with your generosity towards the Lembongan community – we are truly humbled and blessed. We have just tipped our second target of $7500 and on our way now to $10,000.
We understand you have trusted us with your donations and for the money to be spent well. We can confirm:
– 100% of the money raised will go to buying food supplies, no admin fees from us or Bali Children Foundation
– we will be buying food supplies locally on Lembongan across a range of outlets on the island
– we will be including residents from other islands who live permanently on Lembongan as part of the distribution
– distributions will be include both Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan residents
– funds raised are held with Bali Children Foundation and they will be administering payments of supplies on receipt of invoices via bank transfers
Thank you again from us at TLT and local Lembongan community. Regards Tania & Mal

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UPDATE – 27 APR 2020

AMAZING, so many more donations over night and we have reached our initial target of $5000. THANK YOU to you ALL it has been an incredible team effort and our hearts are bursting. We can not thank you enough as this will enable us to help so many Lembongan families. However, we are not going to stop here, we have decided to raise the target to $7500, lets keep sharing the campaign and encourage family and friends to donate. Every little bit counts and together we can make a BIG difference – AU$12 will buy a family 10kg of rice. Sending love to you all, TLT Team

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UPDATE – 26 APR 2020

WOW we are nearly at $4000, an amazing achievement and another massive thank you to all, especially those you have donated in the last 24 hour ( since our last update). Please keep sharing with family and friends so we can reach our target. Enjoy your Sunday, take care and stay well. TLT Team

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UPDATE – 24 APR 2020

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated, in less than 24 hours you have help raised over $3000. We are so grateful for your support and for those who have shared the campaign friends and family. The Lembongan community are blessed to be surrounded by such a caring and generous wider community (YOU) who have selflessly dug deep in these difficult times. Be assured your donations will go a LONG way to helping Lembongan families. Thanks again and take care. Tania, Mal & TLT Team

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April 23, 2020

Food for Lembongan Families

FOOD FOR LEMBONGAN FAMILIES

As the owners of The Lembongan Traveller we feel compelled to rally our community of loyal supporters to help assist with raising funds to buy food for Lembongan families. With tourism and the local economy being brought to a stand still due to COVID-19, the locals have been severely impacted with wide spread loss of jobs & income. The campaign is aimed to reach as many families as possible by supplying rice and oil which makes up an integral part of their daily staples. GIVE NOW

We understand that COVID-19 has touched everyone and we are all facing extremely difficult times, but if you can give any small amount from your family it will go a long way to helping a Lembongan family. All donations are greatly appreciated.

We have partnered with Bali Children Foundation, who we successfully worked with to administer the money we raised after the Yellow Bridge collapse to the affected families and into the community via their environmental and educational programs.

Our team of staff based on the ground in Lembongan have helped us formulate this program, will administer the purchasing of supplies and oversee the distribution process.

We thank you all in advance, on behalf of the people of Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan for support the Food for Lembongan Families fundraiser… they can not wait to welcome you back to their island home once travel can resume.

Donations can be made via PayPal or Credit Credit card via the campaign link below, or please email us on holiday@thelembongantraveller.com for either IDR or AUD bank account details and your donation will be added to the campaign as an offline contribution.