Flores Indonesia Trip November 2019

East Nusa Tengarra (Flores) Trip November 2019

Next Tuesday Paul Laroumanie and I leave for Flores, Indonesia with colleagues from Rotary Lane Cove and Belconnen. This Rotary Donors trip is a follow-up from last year’s participation of the NTA monitoring programme. Our trip leader is Phil Domaschenz Executive Officer of NTA.
I am looking forward to seeing many of the locations from last year’s visit. So we will keep you posted. Also, I will be meeting with Ratna Pongkapadang RC Kupang Timor Raya and see if we can support their community projects.
For those who are not aware, we are providing small grants to assist families and communities in East Indonesia with water, sanitation, agricultural and education facilities, in partnership with NTA East Indonesia Aid.

Facebook posts www.facebook.com/WPHCRotaryclub/ are also shown below as they are posted.

Information On Flores

Flores (Indonesian: Pulau Flores) is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. The population was 1,931,000 in the 2010 census and the largest town is Maumere. The name Flores is derived from the Portuguese for "flowers".

Flores is located east of Sumbawa and Komodo islands and west of Lembata island and the Alor Archipelago. To the southeast is Timor. To the south, across the Sumba Strait, is Sumba island and to the north, beyond the Flores Sea, is Sulawesi.
Among all islands containing Indonesian territory, Flores is the 10th most populous after Java, Sumatra, Borneo (Kalimantan), Sulawesi, New Guinea, Bali, Madura, Lombok, and Timor and also the 10th biggest island of Indonesia.
Main Cities in Flores are Labuan Bajo, Ruteng, Bajawa, Ende, Maumere and Larantuka

Labuan Bajo, 188 724 inhabitants
Ruteng, 34 569 inhabitants
Bajawa, 44 000 inhabitants
Ende, 60 000 inhabitants
Maumere, 52 921 inhabitants

The peoples of Flores are almost entirely Roman Catholic Christians, whereas most other Indonesians are Muslim. As a consequence, Flores may be regarded as surrounded by a religious border. The prominence of Catholicism on the island results from its colonisation by Portugal. In other parts of Indonesia with significant Christian populations, such as the Maluku Islands and Sulawesi, the geographical divide is less rigid and Muslims and Christians sometimes live side by side. Flores thereby also has less religious violence that has sporadically occurred in other parts of Indonesia.

In addition to tourism, the main economic activities on Flores are agriculture, fishing and seaweed production. The primary food crops being grown on Flores are rice, maize, sweet potato and cassava, while the main cash crops are coffee, coconut, candle nut and cashew. Flores is one of the newest origins for Indonesian coffee. Previously, most Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) from Flores was blended with other origins. Now, demand is growing for this coffee because of its heavy body and sweet chocolate, floral and woody notes. (Source - Wikipedia)

Closest neighbours – 450 Km away
Some of the poorest people in the world - 30% < poverty line
Malnutrition - stunted growth in 36.8% pop
Infant mortality and life spans - amongst worst in Indonesia
4,500 Under 5s die each year of diarrhoea
40% children do not attend school
“The hunger season” - 8 month dry season

For more information on the project please see the presentation below.

Rotary Small Grants (East Indonesia) Presentation

To download the PDF version of this presentation, please click HERE

East Nusa Tengarra (Flores) Trip Facebook Posts

Thursday 7th November 2019 (Peter Stanton)

Friday 8th November 2019 (Peter Stanton)

I scanned some photos from last year's visit to Flores. Hopefully I can meet the same people again.... More later.

Monday 11 November 2019

Leaving for the airport on our Rotary Flores trip.
We will be routing via Bali.
Need to buy an Indonesian sim card and look for school books and art supplies.
Also looking forward to taking photos of the rice paddi fields and volcano.
Attached are some school photos from last year.

Tuesday 12 November 2019

Sunday 17 November 2019

Paul and I had a great time in Bali.
We took a photographic course on Thursday... Absolutely brilliant ! Attached are 3 photos.
We have met up with the other Rotarians and are about to board the flight to Maumere- Flores.

Sunday 17 November 2019 - At Maumere, Flores

Paul and I have arrived safely to Maumere Flores and were greeted by the NTA Indonesian team.
Last night’s bbq fish dinner was excellent.
Pak Don Bosco director NTA Indonesia and Phil Domaschenz, head of table, are leading the tour.

Sunday 17 November 2019 - In The Field

Today we were in the field. Reconnected with “ Klompok” groups and sighted 2019 built, Water Storage tanks.
These communities deserve all the support they can get.!!

Presented on behalf of our Rotary Club 3X Samsung hi end tablets.
These will be used for field work so that data collection will be less onerous for collection, more accurate and verifiable.
See attached photos of hand over ceremony to NTA managers during our field visit.
Also visited an Ikak weavers group and bought a Christmas present. (as you do..)

Monday 18 November 2019 - Weavers

2 Great photos of village weavers, taken by Paul.
NTA is developing a programme to promote weavers to increase income to these families.

Monday 18 November 2019 - Book Donation

Following the visit to the Seminary, we donated books to 2 schools. This was much appreciated by the librarian and teachers.

Wednesday 20 November 2019 - Agriculture

Today is Agriculture - farmers in tough conditions. Terraces following the hill landscape. Key crops are Cacao (Chocolate bean) Jammu, Cashew nut , Nutmeg, and other spices.

Paul loved the lunch provided by the families. First experience of Jack Fruit.

Thursday 21 November 2019 -

Phil from NTA at our visit to a small piggery.

Thursday 21 November 2019 - Brilliant photos by Steve (RC Lane Cove)

Children, animals and the eighth oldest catholic church in Indonesia built by a Dutchman in 1899.

Thursday 21 November 2019

The photos tell the storey !!
I eat the fruit the cashew nut leaves behind
Cashews - one nut per fruit. No wonder they’re so expensive.
Cocoa pods growing in their ‘condoms’ as they are called to keep them from being spoiled by insects.
Local girls back from school
I suspect the woman who makes the weaving dyes may have given her a little tickle up
Mama’s kitchen