July 7, 2015 edition

The sound of a Kalimantan string instrument, or sampe, emerged from Shanty's smartphone. It sounded like an Indian sitar, only softer. "When I heard it, I felt like I was in the middle of a jungle," said the female entrepreneur from Samarinda, East Kalimantan. It was a few seconds until the sampe was joined by a full ensemble.

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More Outreach articles in other editions

June 30, 2015 edition

Seventeen street lights shine over Ped village's unpaved roads on Bali's Nusa Penida Island. At 6pm, they light up automatically. Two kilometers away, in Toya Pakeh, the streetlights also turn on, just as the sun begins to set.
Just a year ago, the village was bathed in darkness as dusk gave way to night. "Now, all the lamps in the two villages are powered by an Ocean Wave-Powered Electricity Generator (PLTAL)," one Toya Pakeh resident, Restu, told Tempo. The generator lights the way for about 12 hours a day.

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June 23, 2015 edition

Saving Mandau In West Kalimantan
Craftsman Matius Ala is striving to revive the ancient tradition of mandau-forging in the hamlet of Kecukuh, West Kalimantan.

THE heat was so intense, it seemed to suck all the air out of the room as Tempo English entered the mandau (traditional Kalimantan sword) workshop in Kecukuh hamlet, Melawi regency, West Kalimantan. The heat was pouring in from the furnace, or puput, in the center of the room. Matius Ala turned half a kilogram of iron back and forth in the burning charcoal, using wood pincers to prevent blistering. "I need to wait until the fire turns bright red. It takes about 30 minutes," said the 58-year-old two week ago.

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June 16, 2015 edition

Helping One Another
The Kipas Foundation assists ex-prisoners in Bengkulu Province to re-enter society with job training, counseling and start-up funds. As many as 300 former convicts now run their own businesses.

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June 9, 2015 edition

Oceans Of Seaweed
A researcher devised ways to process seaweed into a cosmetic line with 20 products, empowering 500 farmers nationwide. What is the secret to her success?

THE Seaweed Cooperatives depot stands tall near the coast in Kertasari village, Greater Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara. In the backyard, rows of wrinkled seaweed sit drying under the hot morning sun, as a vaguely putrid smell wafts through the air.

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June 2, 2015 edition

Night was falling as Yunita Kanca hauled in the Bemban bark (Donax Cannaeformis) that had been drying in her yard. The 28-year-old woman from Kenasau village, Sentarum Lake Region, West Kalimantan, hurried to strip off the bark fibers with a penknife. "The fibers make the weaving uneven and cause the price to fall," she told Tempo two weeks ago.
Kanca's sister, 25-year-old Leokrita Diana, sat next to her, skillfully weaving fiber strands into dew-droplet patterns. "This is called tangga ambun, which means 'natural coolness in the morning'," she said.

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May 26, 2015 edition

A Driver's Dream
A bus driver founded an Islamic elementary school in Tololai, West Nusa Tenggara. Attendance is free of charge.

AFFECTIONATELY called 'Bang Alan', Muhammad Shaleh, who hails from Tololai, Bima regency, West Nusa Tenggara, drives the night bus between Bima, Sumbawa, and Mataram, Lombok. He had just returned from Mataram when Tempo met him two weeks ago.

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