Authentic Sumatra

Authentic Sumatra works closely with local communities in order to create community based tours in Sumatra. They only employ and train locals as guides or staff in order to help local communities and develop the economy of the region. About 15% of the income generated from tours goes to support the education of children in local communities. Ricky's Beach house supports local villagers by providing work, using local products, and using their income to support education and create an emergency fund for the community. By working in the beach house local people learn to speak English and leanr about the hospitality business. The goal is to teach them about tourism, which will provide them with more opportunities to expand their talents elsewhere.

The Sumatran Turtle Conservation was formed in March 2016 to save the turtle population around the fishing village of Nagari Sungai Pinang, aiming to increase awareness of ecological matters among local inhabitants. They started this project because they found the sea turtles in Sumatra were in danger of becoming extinct and they were concernec by the widespreaad degradation of the Sumatran marine environment. While the program focuses mainly on rescuing turtles around the fishing village, their broader goal is to contribute to different aspects of marine conservation in Sumatra. In addition, they also have developed a project where villagers can join and learn how to make us of recycling plastic. They regularly organize "cleaning beach day" so local children can start to learn how to keep their surroundings clean.