Eco Tourism

We are proud to be one of the leading eco-lodges in the world. Even though we are a small hotel, hidden away in a remote corner of the world, we have won nearly every major eco-tourism award. That recognition has started to influence others and now more and more developers are contacting us for advice.

We strive to minimize our impact on our environment and our community. In so doing we can set positive examples for our Sumbanese neighbors to follow and for our guests to take home with them. Listed below are some of the initiatives that have been implemented at Nihiwatu.

  • We recycle all of our waste. Glass, aluminum cans and plastics are deposited with recycling agents in Waikabubak who sell them in Java. Food scraps and light paper are composted. Cardboard is burned; the ash is used in our organic garden. Used oil from our generators is stored in drums and given to villagers who use it as a healing skin ointment for their livestock.
  • Bio-diesel fuel to power the resort is produced from coconuts at Nihiwatu by The Sumba Foundation bio-diesel factory. The long term sustainability of the project is assured by our purchase of the bio-fuel. 115 families are benefiting from selling coconuts (average sales US$100,000 per year) and the environment benefits from the cleaner bio-fuel that produces 75% fewer emissions than fossil fuels.
  • Wildlife is protected. We have successfully stopped the catching of sea turtles by the local fishermen in our area and we also have a turtle hatchery at the resort. We buy turtle eggs that are dug up by the local people and keep them safe until they hatch. Each year thousands of newly hatched turtles are released to the sea where they belong.
  • Trapped birds of all kinds are confiscated when found in villages and are set free. If they are too young we raise them until they can fly and be released. We have saved numerous Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and recently even a fully grown Pelican.
  • We have banned the cutting of trees and uncontrolled slash and burn agriculture on our 468 acre property. Farmers must get permission to burn undergrowth for small plot farming and we help manage the annual rotation of these farms. The result has been a 20% increase in forested area in the last 15 years.
  • To offset our carbon footprint and become carbon neutral we have planted 64,000 Teak trees in a 12 hectare area. Over the next 5 years, we are committed to planting a total of 160,000 trees on a 100 hectare area of land near the Pededewatu Market.
  • Waste water from our accommodation, public area and back of house facilities is treated in small bio-mass treatment plants and then recycled to water the grass and garden areas.
  • Indigenous plants in all areas of the resort are maintained and protected. Most areas have been left untouched and are still as it was when we first came here. The grass in the public areas is 100% local grass transplanted from other areas of our property. The Plumeria and Bougainvilleas are the only foreign plants at Nihiwatu and they came from cuttings of trees that we found on other areas of the island.
  • As the visionaries, co-founders and projects developers of The Sumba Foundation we have been able to acheive our goal of improving the lives of thousands of our Sumbanese neighbors. Now close to 20,000 people living in 400 villages are directly benefitting from Nihiwatu being their neighbour and each year these numbers are growing. We thank our founding partner Sean Downs, the Nihiwatu guests and the many people throughout the world who have donated to support our projects, the corporate donors, the volunteers and the staff who have worked so hard to help us realize our vision of a better world for the Sumbanese people.

The Foundations water, health, education and economic projects are spread throughout a 110 square kilomiter (68 square miles) area surrounding Nihiwatu resort. The results as of January 31, 2009 are;

WATER

  • 40 wells have been dug or drilled
  • We have 94 water stations at villages and by roads where people have tap water availabe to draw from 17 generators & submersible pumps are strategically placed to draw and move water
  • There are 47 hand pumps at the smaller wells
  • There are 83 water tanks in place at villages with a storage capacity of 256,000 liters of water (64,000 gallons)
  • There is 30 kiloliters (18 miles) of water pipe in the ground
  • 721,000 liters (180,000 gallons) of water is pumped daily
  • More than 10,604 people living in 140 villages are receiving clean water
  • 8 schools are supplied with water
  • 5 foundation & 3 governmemt clinics are supplied with water

CLINICS

  • We have 5 clinics built and staffed by the foundation
  • We employ 1 doctor and 13 nurses Our clinics provide reliable healthcare to over 18,000 people.
  • We support 16 government midwife clinics with equipment, medicines and training by volunteer medical professionals
  • Volunteers and optomologists have distributed more than 810 pairs of prescription eye-glasses at the clinics
  • Volunteer dentist have treated hundreds of patients at our dental facility 3 containers of medicnes and medical supplies, donated by Direct Relief International USA, have been imported and distributed to Sumba hospitals and clinics
  • 40,000 antibiotics tablets have been dispensed
  • 30,000 vitamins
  • 15,000 villagers have been dewormed
  • 6,000 cases of varius infections have been treated

MALARIA

  • Our intervention has reduced infection rates by 85%
  • More than 18,000 people living in 400 villages are benefiting from the program
  • 5,000 nets have been distributed free of charge
  • 10,000 people are sleeping under the latest generation of treated mosquito nets distributed free of charge
  • 90 critical cerebal malaria cases have been directly saved from death in our clinics
  • Hundreds of deaths have been prevented due to our program
  • We have trained 60 malaria microscopist to WHO expert standards

CLINICS

  • 166 Cleft palette, severe burns and other reconstructive surgeries have been performed in Sumba by Australia Interplast Surgery teams organized by The Sumba Foundation
  • 1 child was sent to New Zealand for surgery
  • 5 children have been sent to Bali & Jakarta for club foot surgery

SURGERY

  • 570 people were screened
  • 80 people referred for eye operations
  • 75 operations performed (63 Cataracts – 9 Pteridium – 1 Enoculations – 1 Capsule needling - Eye lid operation)
  • 437 prescription glasses dispensed
  • 21 children helped to see

EDUCATION

  • we support 8 primary schools with water from our wells, toilets, tables and chairs
  • at 3 schools we have constructed new classrooms and renovated unsafe existing buildings
  • 6 school libraries have been built and equiped with over 375 books delivered to each school
  • 3 students are recieving scholarships
  • 11 schools have nutrition and hygiene classes regularly taught by our staff
  • 2,600 students recieve free school supplies
  • We have donated:
  • 8,799 writing books
  • 5,286 drawing books
  • 10,500 pens
  • 11,000 pencils
  • 6,842 rulers
  • 8,176 erasers
  • 4,376 compasses

MALNUTRITION

  • 75% of children in 5 schools we surveyed are malnourished
  • 86 severely malnourished children have been treated and have fully recovered
  • There are 55 children in the program at all times
  • 8 children have been saved from certain death
  • 507 boxes of powdered milk and hundreds of eggs have been given to mothers with instructions on how to prepare healthy meals for their children.
  • Each day 100 packets of green bean porridge is cooked at out canteen and distributed to the children in our program

FARMING

  • 5 acres of land is being organically farmed at our farming projects at Katang and Mata Nyira
  • 2 portable water pumps are irrigating the farms
  • 10 varieties of imported non-GM vegetable and fruit seeds have been distributed to the farmers
  • 15 families are participating from the projects
  • Nihiwatu is buying the produce on a twice a week schedule
  • All of the farmers are learning composting and other organic farming methods

ECONOMY – BIO-DIESEL

  • the factory is making 300 liters (69 gallons) of bio-diesel a day, this will gradually increase to 500 liters a day
  • each week 4,000 kilograms (8,800lbs) of copra is purchased direct from villagers
  • 115 families are receiving income from this project
  • Each month hundreds of bars of soap are made from glycerine (a bio-diesel processing by-product) and distributed throughout the community free of charge.
 
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