The Bukit Lawang Trust is a Non Government Organisation based in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra. The Trust building is a community centre which provides free education to people of all ages from both the local community and farther afield in Sumatra. As a volunteer on the Sustainable Business Programme you will be directly involved in the establishment of new and exciting sustainable enterprises in the local community.
Volunteering at the Trust is no gap year holiday, our volunteers typically work from 08:00 to 18:00 on week days, and occasionally on weekends for training events and action days. We maintain an ethos of hard work and selfless commitment and all of our volunteers are here to serve the local community. However, that doesn’t stop us having a life changing experience whilst we are at it!
A typical day starts at 07:00 with breakfast. On Mondays we have a Hub meeting where all of the staff and volunteers come together to plan the week ahead. Following this, you will begin your sessions. The Youth Ranger Programme and ESL Programme have one or more lessons each day although some days teaching is only in the afternoons. When you are not planning or teaching classes you can join the free fitness sessions here at the Trust or take on your own projects doing renovations or other community work here at The Hub. We also send out volunteers to help out at the local Trashbank, turning plastic into new products and supporting the efforts of rubbish processing and collection. Weekends are your own, however occasionally, for example on events such as volunteer induction, phase review and volunteer debrief, you may also find that the Trust has arranged some incredible activities for you. On weekends when you are not trekking in the jungle or rafting down rivers you will have a great opportunity to immerse yourself in Sumatran culture and cuisine, with a range of guest houses, restaurants and even one bar Bukit Lawang has plenty to offer!
You can go trekking from Bukit Lawang to Gunung Leuser National Park and see the famous Sumatran Orangutan. Most volunteers do a two day one night trek and usually are fortunate enough to see Orangutans.
At the weekend there are innumerable places located nearby that are a must see!
Batu Katak - A quiet place on the river and near waterfalls.
Batu Rongring - Beautiful for trekking.
Berestagi - For long weekends or traveling before or after volunteers can visit this lovely town in the mountains and go trekking. It is a bit colder here and that makes it a popular place among locals and tourists!
Lake Toba - A beautiful island (Samosir) in the middle of the lake is home to waterfalls, hot springs, beaches, and more.
We ask all of our volunteers to fundraise before coming out to Sumatra a minimum of £1000 GBP for the 8 weeks. Alternatively, some people choose to just pay this fee if they have no time to fundraise beforehand. We ask for a non-refundable deposit of £150 on booking your place in order to reserve your space and to cover registration costs. In addition to this, you will need to pay for the cost of your volunteer visa, which is £280 and lasts 60 days.
This fee covers:
· Accommodation - shared dorm room
· Lunchtime meals cooked by our hub chef Mon-Fri
· Transport to and from Medan airport to the Trust.
· Free Jungle FIIT exercise classes three times per week at the Trust Hub.
· Our staff will provide all of the training you need to teach our programs, and support you throughout your volunteering journey.
· An overnight, 2 day jungle trekking experience with experienced local guides
· Orientation challenges
· A workshop with a local business- e.g basket weaving, carving, fabric printing, soap making, cookery
· A phase review team building weekend
· Indonesian language lessons by our Indonesian Programme Coordinators
In 2023 we have 5 volunteer intakes during the year as follows:
Orangutan Cycle: Friday 6th January - Sunday 5th of March
Tiger Cycle: Friday 5th of May - Sunday 2nd July
Elephant Cycle: Friday 7th July - Sunday 3rd September
Leopard Cycle: Friday 8th September - Sunday 5th of November
Rhino Cycle: Friday 10th November - Sunday 17th December
The dates for 2024 are likely to be as follows but may change slightly depending on public holidays and events:
Orangutan Cycle: Friday 12th January - Sunday 10th of March
Tiger Cycle: Friday 19th of April - Sunday 16th June
Elephant Cycle: Friday 28th June - Sunday 25th August
Leopard Cycle: Friday 30th August - Sunday 27th October
Rhino Cycle: Friday 1st November - Sunday 15th December (6 weeks only)
Sustainable Business Programme Facilitator
We deliver our free sessions in business skills to individuals from rural villages and support them to start or improve their own micro-enterprise.
$125/week
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