Horas! Okta from Business Team is here.
Ever heard of paradise on this earth? Well, I have been to one.
Two years ago, I decided to explore Samosir island alone. I arrived in a small village called Pinal. I went there by boat because there is only one transportation option due to lack of infrastructure development from local government in that area. This village surrounded by the biggest volcanic lake in the world (Toba Lake), natural green hills and graceful waterfalls. It is unbelievably serene and peaceful.
A hidden waterfall in Samosir Island
Pinal Village
I met with the locals and have good talk with them, I realized that they still use wood for cooking and they depend on a small hydroelectric power plant for electricity at night. Hence, it's normal for them to have blackout in the night because the power plant couldn't sustain the electricity needs for a long period. An old man said to me that a group of people from university and company came to their place a few years ago for a CSR programme. They gave solar panels to local people but they didnât maintain the programme in the community and the solar panel was neglected in the end. The condition in Pinal and other villages that I visited really saddened me because they actually have a lot of energy resources from their environment, unfortunately, they donât receive help sustainably. They are vulnerable.
On my last day there, a kid shared with me that so many people visited his village but no one can help them to change their lives to be better. I was silent for a while and told him to study well, because he will be the one who change the future of his village. Ever since, I commit to myself that I will learn continuously to be able to give impact to my surroundings by having a social enterprise. It is my "WHY", my reason to wake up in the morning everyday.
I realize that I need to gain more working experiences related with community development to achieve what I aim for. Soon, I graduated and worked for one year in a startup company in Jakarta. I resigned and then I found an opportunity in su-re.co .
I decided to apply for a Green Business internship programme right after I read the story of Takeshi Takama in su-re.co website. I could relate to his story very well. I also remember he wrote "Don't just study but do something". All things that he does in su-re.co with all the members inspire me a lot. His story re-called my memory to my journey in Samosir Island.
Now, I'm currently contributing to develop su-re.coffee and su-re.cocoa business. We supply our coffee and cocoa beans from local farmers in Bali and Flores with fair trade. We also promise to give 25% of wholesale price for empowering farmers by providing training and clean energy resource. Cool right?đ
Anyway, If you're curious about our products, do drop by our shop and tell me what you think about it. Your precious feedback is the catalyst for us to do betterđ
Thank you so much for reading my blog until the end, will see you next week!đ