International Report 2025-26
Director: Andrew Little
Committee: Peter Stanton, Tony Makin
Committee: Peter Stanton, Tony Makin
Background:
Our club continues to engage with Nusa Tenggara Association (NTA) over the past 9 years, as our principal in-country international partner.
Priorities:
Global Grant: Following ongoing club support and two district grants in Flores, we applied for and were successful in being granted the US$50,000 (~A$76,000)International Grant (G2347745) for the WASH program to assist in funding 70 water tanks and 70 squat style toilets in Ian Tena village in Flores, Indonesia.
For Toilets, Rotary contributes 42% of the total cost, individual families contribute 39% and the village/Government 19%.
For Tanks, Rotary contributes 38% of the total cost, individual families contribute 45% and the village/Government 17%. The contribution from families also includes payment in kind as they source rocks & sand and also provide the construction labour.
Project Status As At 31 May 2026
WASH PROJECT. Construction during the period January to April 2026 was, as expected, paused due to the wet season. The WASH project continues to be on budget.
a. Water Tanks
Despite delays, the period saw the successful completion of the 70th & last water tank. This was achieved with the completion of the last 6 tanks which was a great milestone.
b. Toilet Completion
There are 5 toilets at the finishing stage and the remaining 15 are also in progress. Ninet oilets were finished during this period. Construction of the last 5 toilets only began once road access improved following the heavy rains easing in early May.
Two additional toilets being built for a school and health centre use are also underway. These are being funded by a Rotary club in England.
c. Hygiene Training
Training on menstrual health and hygiene was carried out for representatives from each group in Ian Tena and Watukobu (total 40 individuals) and environmentally-friendly and reusable menstrual health products were distributed to the 30 women in attendance.
Men from participating households were also invited to attend to ensure shared understanding of menstrual health and hygiene, particularly among parents of adolescent girls. Experts from the local health centre and village health workers were trained in the materials and presented alongside NTA. Village government attended the training.
The training was held over two sessions, on 30 May and 01 June 2026. A training report is currently being prepared and will be shared once available.
d. Rotary GG funds transferred to date is A$76,878 has been transferred to the NTAI GG bank account in Kupang. The original GG amount was US$50,000 (A$ $77,048.95 - 0.65original ex rate). The small balance of the Bendigo Bank GG account left was added to
the contingency account.
- NTA programmes are authentic and meet the criteria we had set for a sustainable relationship and our requirements for strong governance and to ensure our Rotary profile is displayed and acknowledged.
- NTA takes a grassroots approach to supporting the well-being of the people of East Nusa Tenggara.
- NTA receives capped funding from DFAT (Australian Aid) on a matching contribution basis, ANCP and DAP and rely on the generous support from a number of Rotary clubs and other benefactors.
- NTA programs builds on a 30+ year history in Flores and West Timor, providing small-scale funding and loans to local farming collectives, schools, and families to invest in:
- Agriculture
- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Training.
- Education & Schooling resources
- Women empowerment through income based on Weaving.
Priorities:
Global Grant: Following ongoing club support and two district grants in Flores, we applied for and were successful in being granted the US$50,000 (~A$76,000)International Grant (G2347745) for the WASH program to assist in funding 70 water tanks and 70 squat style toilets in Ian Tena village in Flores, Indonesia.
For Toilets, Rotary contributes 42% of the total cost, individual families contribute 39% and the village/Government 19%.
For Tanks, Rotary contributes 38% of the total cost, individual families contribute 45% and the village/Government 17%. The contribution from families also includes payment in kind as they source rocks & sand and also provide the construction labour.
Project Status As At 31 May 2026
WASH PROJECT. Construction during the period January to April 2026 was, as expected, paused due to the wet season. The WASH project continues to be on budget.
a. Water Tanks
Despite delays, the period saw the successful completion of the 70th & last water tank. This was achieved with the completion of the last 6 tanks which was a great milestone.
b. Toilet Completion
There are 5 toilets at the finishing stage and the remaining 15 are also in progress. Ninet oilets were finished during this period. Construction of the last 5 toilets only began once road access improved following the heavy rains easing in early May.
Two additional toilets being built for a school and health centre use are also underway. These are being funded by a Rotary club in England.
c. Hygiene Training
Training on menstrual health and hygiene was carried out for representatives from each group in Ian Tena and Watukobu (total 40 individuals) and environmentally-friendly and reusable menstrual health products were distributed to the 30 women in attendance.
Men from participating households were also invited to attend to ensure shared understanding of menstrual health and hygiene, particularly among parents of adolescent girls. Experts from the local health centre and village health workers were trained in the materials and presented alongside NTA. Village government attended the training.
The training was held over two sessions, on 30 May and 01 June 2026. A training report is currently being prepared and will be shared once available.
d. Rotary GG funds transferred to date is A$76,878 has been transferred to the NTAI GG bank account in Kupang. The original GG amount was US$50,000 (A$ $77,048.95 - 0.65original ex rate). The small balance of the Bendigo Bank GG account left was added to
the contingency account.
e. Contingency Account
A$11,832.88 from the contingency account was transferred to NTA’s bank account in Canberra on 1st March 2026 and they will transfer tranches to the NTAI bank account in Kupang for any payments directed by us. The contingency account funds have used to fund the final hygiene training session with the villagers and school children. The object of this was to help reinforce hygiene requirements that aim to stop the spread of infection. Rotary International have consistently emphasised the need for this type of training to change the hygiene culture of the villagers. In addition, we also covered the cost of shipping of 113 laptops from Jakarta to Kupang (A$1,500). This will be detailed under TIB below. The cost of the GG completion celebrations (around A$1,400), to be held during the site visit in September will also be covered by these funds. During this period, it emerged that the village government budget for sanitation has been cut due to national priorities. Therefore, there were no village funds available for the government contribution for the final seven (7) toilets. As such, we made an additional contribution for 7 toilets of IDR 2,240,000 per unit to cover this gap (total ~ A$2,000), which was greatly appreciated by the government and beneficiaries. Any additional funds left over will be used to build a few more water tanks and toilets. This is currently estimated to be around A$4,400.
Donors Trip September 2026
We will have 8 members from the club; Andrew Little, Peter Stanton, Tony Makin, John Tchetchenian, Janelle Craig, Neville Hansen, Martin Collins and David Turnbull, participating in the 2026 NTA Donors Trip. In addition, Pam Carne from Blacktown Rotary (TIB Sydney representative) and Kate Huth, TIB Education Officer will also be attending.
A$11,832.88 from the contingency account was transferred to NTA’s bank account in Canberra on 1st March 2026 and they will transfer tranches to the NTAI bank account in Kupang for any payments directed by us. The contingency account funds have used to fund the final hygiene training session with the villagers and school children. The object of this was to help reinforce hygiene requirements that aim to stop the spread of infection. Rotary International have consistently emphasised the need for this type of training to change the hygiene culture of the villagers. In addition, we also covered the cost of shipping of 113 laptops from Jakarta to Kupang (A$1,500). This will be detailed under TIB below. The cost of the GG completion celebrations (around A$1,400), to be held during the site visit in September will also be covered by these funds. During this period, it emerged that the village government budget for sanitation has been cut due to national priorities. Therefore, there were no village funds available for the government contribution for the final seven (7) toilets. As such, we made an additional contribution for 7 toilets of IDR 2,240,000 per unit to cover this gap (total ~ A$2,000), which was greatly appreciated by the government and beneficiaries. Any additional funds left over will be used to build a few more water tanks and toilets. This is currently estimated to be around A$4,400.
Donors Trip September 2026
We will have 8 members from the club; Andrew Little, Peter Stanton, Tony Makin, John Tchetchenian, Janelle Craig, Neville Hansen, Martin Collins and David Turnbull, participating in the 2026 NTA Donors Trip. In addition, Pam Carne from Blacktown Rotary (TIB Sydney representative) and Kate Huth, TIB Education Officer will also be attending.
NTA/NTAI – WASH Program Partner
a. Relationship
We have established a very solid relationship with NTA, our WASH program partner. They have a very thorough, well established management system and the reporting of the WASH project progress reports, from a construction and financial perspective, have been very detailed. Laura Kola, Program Manager with NTA is doing an excellent job in this respect, along with Phil Domaschenz, Operations Manager NTA.
b. Operations personnel at NTA-Indonesia
The new Field Officers based in Indonesia, Simon Field- Program Coordinator and Laura Kola- Program Manager are a major asset to the relationship with NTA & NTAI. Laura is based in a village called Moni in central Flores. Laura is the key contact for the WASH
project and is fluent in Bahasa. Living as a local in Flores for many years, she understands the local culture and hence is very familiar with Ian Tena village, where the WASH program is located.
Financial Auditing
Dedicated Bank Accounts for tracking the funds were established at the start of the WASH Project by our club, RC Bali Seminyak (in Bali) and NTAI (in Kupang). We sent funds in agreed tranches in AUD, based on project progress reports and Annual field visits, to RC Bali-Seminyak who then release funds in Indonesian Rupiah to NTAI. Reconciliation by NTA of the financial accounts is currently underway and will be completed by Friday 19 June 2026.
We have established a very solid relationship with NTA, our WASH program partner. They have a very thorough, well established management system and the reporting of the WASH project progress reports, from a construction and financial perspective, have been very detailed. Laura Kola, Program Manager with NTA is doing an excellent job in this respect, along with Phil Domaschenz, Operations Manager NTA.
b. Operations personnel at NTA-Indonesia
The new Field Officers based in Indonesia, Simon Field- Program Coordinator and Laura Kola- Program Manager are a major asset to the relationship with NTA & NTAI. Laura is based in a village called Moni in central Flores. Laura is the key contact for the WASH
project and is fluent in Bahasa. Living as a local in Flores for many years, she understands the local culture and hence is very familiar with Ian Tena village, where the WASH program is located.
Financial Auditing
Dedicated Bank Accounts for tracking the funds were established at the start of the WASH Project by our club, RC Bali Seminyak (in Bali) and NTAI (in Kupang). We sent funds in agreed tranches in AUD, based on project progress reports and Annual field visits, to RC Bali-Seminyak who then release funds in Indonesian Rupiah to NTAI. Reconciliation by NTA of the financial accounts is currently underway and will be completed by Friday 19 June 2026.
Teacher in a Box (TIB)This programme is ongoing, with the assistance of NTAI. There is a major effort to increase the library of Indonesian language resources which now includes 954 PDF curriculum textbooks, 440 non-curriculum text books and 2886 audio books, as well as around 300 children’s story books in Bahasa. Most schools in Flores & West Timor don’t have internet accessibility and have very few textbooks, as both are too expensive for them. Hence a TIB unit provides the whole curriculum, plus a considerable quantity of other educational material in English that they can use to learn English as a second language. We are continuing to add additional copyright free content in Bahasa Indonesia. 28 TIB’s have been installed to date: |
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The number of TIB units to be deployed in 2026 is yet to be determined by NTA. Simon Field, NTA’s Program Manager in Jakarta, has sourced 116 laptops from a DFAT (Dept of Foreign Affairs & Trade) project that has been completed. These are now in NTAI’s office in Kupang. Of these 116, 88 are suitable for conversion to a TIB server as they all have 1 Tb SSD installed in them. This saves around $220 each for new 1 Tb SSD’s or A$20,240 for the 88 laptops. The period over which the 88 laptop/TIB units will be deployed is yet to be determined but will most likely be 3 or 4 years.
Bursary Program
The first $1,000 for the Bursary Program took place in February 2026 (start of school
year), with 40 deserving students receiving A$25 each. A second bursary program will
also be undertaken in July 2026.
Reading Competition
Our club donated A$500 to fund a reading competition, which was held in April 2025
and was very successful. This is a very worthwhile cause as it helps to promote reading,
not simply watching screens, which most kids these days do, including Indonesian
children. Another reading competition will be held in the second half of 2026.
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First prize winner in reading competition |
Summary |
Donation of a TIB unit during the 2025 NTA donors visit |
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The Global Grant WASH project continues to be on budget. Construction of the 70 water tanks is now complete and the remaining 15 toilets should be completed by the end of July. All GG funds have been transferred to NTAI and they have now disbursed these funds. Teacher In a Box project is going well and will continue to expand as suitable additional laptops can be sourced from within Indonesia.
I wish to acknowledge the valued support from the International committee members - Peter Stanton, & Tony Makin. Regards Andrew Little International Service Director 2025-26 |
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