If you read my previous posting “Pessimism and Hope”, you can feel my gloomy tone, illustrated by the photo of the moss forest in Papua. I wrote, “The chance to get funding in Indonesia is practically zero. Endangered species is not well heard by most Indonesians, and the ones who have heard about it do…
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I had only one experience on fundraising before our foundation was formed. I helped a daughter of a widow with her post-high school education, the cost of her living in Yogyakarta, and the treatment of her tuberculosis. I almost gave up trying to help her as the money sent from my parents—I did not tell…
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The low rate of response from the contacted people by mail was very discouraging. The tone of the responses is similar: “We applaud the project but unfortunately we have no fund to support it.” I am aware that without support from a big organization, funding will be extremely difficult. Although I am an Indonesian, the…
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On the last day of the school year, the Principal announced the staff who will not return in the following year. This year I was one of them. Ben Macrory, the communication officer, announced it as the last event in the assembly. He had guessed the event would be poignant. Before I rose from my…
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Among hundreds of people we sent emails to, it was only Alicia Kennedy from the Jane Goodall Institute who responded very well. She is interested in helping us both personally and through the JGI, specifically the Roots & Shoots program. The R&S program is suited well for children and young people. She offered this program…
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Jerry Lloyd, the grade 1 teacher, is the first and most ardent supporter of our project. He invited me to present our project to his students. They asked a lot of questions. One of the questions was very startling. “Are you going to leave us?” Kyan asked. I was tongue-tied looking at Jerry for help….
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Sven, Lena, and I tried hard to spend time on the project while we were busy with our main jobs. I drafted the concept, sent it to some friends, received their feedback, and revised the draft. In total, I made 10 major revisions and it took me about six months to finalize it. Sven and…
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It started with a question from Sven and Lena Gelin: “What did you want to do but you could not do because you do not have the resources?” My answer was to run a conservation project that preserves tropical rainforests and saves the wildlife living inside them. It was 2010, just a few weeks before…
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