BUKIT LAWANG TRUST was founded after the devastating flood wiped out the village of Bukit Lawang.

In November 2003 in the late evening, the massive flood hit the village and killed many people. Described by witnesses as a tidal wave, the water was over 10 meters high, as it came crashing down the hills, wiping out everything in its path.  

Founder and Trustee Rebecca Coley had been visiting the village a couple of months earlier and was contacted and asked to help. Rebecca set about raising funds and went back with her family to buy rice and distribute basic staple foods to feed the families who were living in the bus station, initially providing villagers with water carriers, purifying tablets, sleeping mats, rice and educational materials.

Since the charity was set up and registered in 2004, we set up a small temporary health clinic, renting and refurbishing a building, and employing locals to renovate and employing a doctor, nurse, and a midwife. The clinic was run from this small house for two years, seeing more than thirty patients a day, for free. At that time the health clinic offered free health care to any families affected by the flood.

Bukit Lawang Trust then partnered with Jersey Overseas Aid and they agreed to match fund the building of a community centre. Sixteen volunteers worked hard raising funds and came from Jersey to Indonesia to build the new community building with the locals in March 2007. The new community centre is now a permanent home for the Trust.

The administrator, doctor, nurse and mid-wife moved into the new clinic downstairs in the building in December 2007, and the clinic opened its doors in January 2008.

The Clinic served the community until December 2011 when the clinic closed due to the fact the area had positively rehabilitated, and the need for the clinic diminished. More clinics had opened in the area, and the decision was made for the centre to focus on Education, opening its doors as a dedicated Education Centre in January 2012. 

Since that time the Education Centre has seen hundreds of children come through its doors for free english lessons and extra lessons such as arts and crafts, maths, computer lessons and traditional dance.

We run a free kindergarten every morning and have helped children to learn to read and write at all ages. We believe in education being the best route out of poverty and to the opportunity for a better life for the future.

The main ethos of the Trust is that education is the best route out of poverty and so we just offer the opportunity for young people to learn English and increase their knowledge of the world and the environment through our lessons.

Bukit Lawang Trust is also very focused on Conservation and wishes to empower and enable the local community to protect and look after the Gunung Leuseur National Park as it is right on their doorstep and the rare endangered Sumatran orangutans are under serious threat from the plans for further deforestation, new roads and more palm oil plantations. WE hope through education the locals will find alternative sources of income to palm oil and work together to protect the Gunung Leuser National Park.

Mission: To enhance the health and education of the community of the village of Bukit Lawang and the people of Bohorok region, North Sumatra, Indonesia. To engage in Environmental and wildlife projects  in connection with the endangered wildlife of the Gunung Leuseur ecosystem.

The ethos of the Trust is to empower people, so that the community is involved in every aspect of our projects.  

The Bukit Lawang Trust Centre is a dedicated Education Centre offering free English lessons for young people and adults, a free mother and toddler learning group at the kindergarten, and a library. We run extra lessons in maths, science and arts and crafts and we have a strong emphasis on conservation education. 

We opened the Richard Cann Reading Room in 2016 - a learning resource room dedicated to Conservation Education. Richard sadly lost his life in 2014 whilst visiting Bukit Lawang. This is his legacy and the Centre will be home to a space for learning and advancement in conservation for the community and visiting public and conservationists.

Bukit Lawang Trust also works with partners and like minded organizations to help bring them volunteers, do outreach, and support other groups as best we can. 

We have two full time managers, a staff of about 8 local people, and at any one time can have up to almost ten volunteers. Our goals are to teach and educate people in the community and partner with other organizations to address conservation and environmental projects.

We are looking for people who share our passion for social projects, who wish to give back and help communities that are less fortunate. We want volunteers who love children, the environment, love new experiences, and building relationships with the local community!

We are a Non profit charitable organization run by volunteers and local staff. You should choose use because we invest in the community in the short term by hiring people and in the long term by providing education and more.