Sumba/Indo Club garage sale fundraiser
A young Sumbanese boy carries jugs of water
It is one week after the CSPA workshop ended, but this blog is not finished. I want to share a quick story with you- the story of what inspired the “travel” theme of this blog.
Twice in my life- once over the summer before I entered the sixth grade, and later before eighth grade- I had the opportunity to travel to a remote, third world island named Sumba, located in southern Indonesia. My family and I were thrilled to take this chance of a lifetime to travel to such a primitive and unique place.
It has been five or six years since my second trip, yet I never stop talking about the journey. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have personally experienced the story of the Sumba Foundation.
Sumba in itself is a beautiful place, a tropical island with endless miles of quiet beaches and rainforests. But the number one reason I am so in love with this island is the people who live there. Never in my life have I met more genuine, compassionate, and loving individuals. And no, I do not speak Indonesian. I hardly knew a full sentence when I traveled there. Yet I communicated with these people on a much deeper level.
Tragically, Sumba, Indonesia has one of the highest occurrences of malaria in Asia. One of the goals of the Sumba Foundation is to change this, primarily through volunteer work and donations. The Sumba Foundation has been so successful, not only in reducing the malaria outbreaks, but also in changing the lives of these friends for the better while being cautious to keep their culture, traditions, and lifestyle unaltered. Volunteers continually bring hope and future to Sumbanese lives through education and implementation of malaria prevention, school repair and supply donations, and the endless work of brilliant and compassionate experts, like my friend Dr. Claus Bogh.
One issue of concern is the lack of clean water. Women walk miles every single day just to fill a jug of water to bring home to their families. It upset me that in the U.S., I can simply pour myself a glass of water whenever I desire, while the Sumbanese people go to great lengths just to obtain a limited supply.
My friend Brian Downs and I started the Sumba/Indo Club at school with the goal of being able to raise enough money to build a water well. Our goal is about $2,000. Over two years since starting the club, we are almost there. Little by little, from a garage sale fundraiser to recycling cans with our neighbors, we have increased the amount in our non-profit bank account. Soon, we hope, we will be able to help at least a few Sumbanese people as they go about their daily lives.
Now that you’ve read this post, I don’t expect you to suddenly feel the urge to save the world. There are countless stories very similar to mine. But if you gather one thing from this post, let it be this: I hope you see that a little bit goes a long way. Whether you have a long-term goal like my club has, or just donate a few dollars a month to an AIDS program, you are making a huge difference in somebody’s life.
A Sumbanese woman carrying water