OUR FIRST JOURNEY THERE AT THE SUMBA HOSPITALITY FOUNDATION
I would like to tell you the story of our first journey to Sumba.
From Bali, the island of the Gods
It was in 2015 and after living in Bali for a year, managing the beautiful eco resort Bambu Indah, I was so excited to start exploring the islands beyond Bali and head further East for more traditional and authentic experiences.
With a good level of Indonesian in hand (very useful skill for out of the beaten path explorations), I decided to visit Sumba for the first time…Island that I had heard from from only a handful of adventurous people, full of mystery as not much information could be found online at that time…
To Sumba, the Wild island
One of the main reason I wanted to go there, was to visit the project started from a GLION Institute Alumni from Belgium, Inge De Lathauwer: the dream of a sustainable hotel school in the wild Sumba island.
Ibuku and Elora Hardy had already designed the project and I wanted to go see it from my own eyes, as a Hotelier myself, General Manager of a bamboo eco resort and alumni of the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. I remember arriving on site the first morning of our arrival to Sumba. There was only one roof and many goats hanging out in a dry deserted land… It needed such a vision to make it happen.
The Sumba Hospitality Foundation
Inge’s visionary school opened in 2016 with the first 40 students. The hotel school gives young people from Sumba island the skills and experience they need for a rewarding career in the tourism industry, while preserving their culture and environment. The foundation has built a unique eco resort and permaculture farm (developed from the early stages by Orin Hardy, co-founder of the Kulkul Farm) showing that tourism can be a force for good. Her mission is to provide students with a rigorous education in hospitality, as well as nurture their responsibilities to the beautiful natural environment. Graduates get secure jobs and the broader community is invited to attend free English classes and learn permaculture techniques. By working closely with local people at every stage of development, the Sumba Hospitality Foundation provides a blueprint for sustainable tourism that puts local communities at its heart.
Photo credit: Sumba Hospitality Foundation
The story continues
After this first trip to Sumba, I was submerged with love for this island, its natural beauty and the authenticity of its people. The culture of Sumba is so rich and colorful, its nature so wild and untouched. I definitely understood Inge’s vision to protect this heritage and give to Sumba a true model of Sustainability to look out to and inspire more people.
The first students of the Sumba Hospitality Foundation graduated nine months after their arrival and it was time for them to be welcomed in various hotels and restaurants in Bali, for their practical internship. I was so blessed to receive with open arms four young Sumbanese women to intern with us and be part of my team at Bambu Indah. It was the beginning of a wonderful collaboration that I was so proud to be part of. I kept going regularly to visit the school, the wonderful smiling students and faculty members and was lucky to once meet all the students and do a presentation sharing the values and sustainable practices that were implemented at the hotel and why it is a model of hospitality that aligns with their own mission. Being once present during one of the ceremony of Graduation was a true honor.
UNTIL OUR FIRST SUMBA CREATIVE RETREAT WITH NATALIE MILLER
In May 2019, with a group of ladies coming from Australia, Brazil and Sweden, accompanied with Natalie Miller, a recognized textile artist, weaver, natural dyer and architect, we stayed at the Hospitality Foundation hotel: Maringi Eco Resort and I was so personally so happy to include the school as part of Creative retreat program. It was the best way to start our long journey through the Wester and the Eastern parts of the island, while inspiring our retreat participants straight off the plane, with fabulous bamboo architecture, lush organic permaculture farms, endless free flow of smiles and open hearts.
We were welcomed beyond expectations with a wonderful extended tour of the school and a delightful four courses dinner made by the students themselves and Chef Alex. We enjoyed the newly built swimming pool and the spa with traditional massages, took bike rides to the neighboring beach and then left the School with heartfelt memories to continue our trip towards the wild South of the island…
After this trip, I decided to create a Creative Retreat program that would be based only at the Sumba Hospitality Foundation, offering guests the possibility to experience Sumba for the first time, in a very comfortable way, while having the opportunity to come with their children and families in the safest and inspiring environment. We want to show the children and young adults the extensive possibilities of positive impact while traveling, discovering a new culture and untouched landscapes.
We allow them to work hands-on with local communities of weavers and natural dyers, surrounded with organic permaculture gardens and young adults ready to change the world and embrace a better future.
We want the parents to share an unforgettable experience with their children while learning new things. We dream to see these young adults and adults creating bonds with the Sumba people: the artisans and the Foundation students.
This is the beginning of a wonderful future for Sumba Island, and I hope as well, for a long collaborative relationship between Almanusia and The Sumba Hospitality Foundation.
A FEW LINKS
The Hospitality Foundation website: http://www.sumbahospitalityfoundation.org/?page_id=613
Inge De Lathauwer TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sur6vrGdSdQ
Ibuku website and their design portfolio for the School: https://ibuku.com/sumba-hospitality-foundation-school/
