indonesia
REI has helped create the only known dehydrated fruit company in Indonesia through small village-based production facilities, while developing other grassroots initiatives and training educators. REI aims to train locals and develop entrepreneurial leaders. Led by experienced young staff, the team also includes young expat professional engineers and engineering students who seek to make an impact by helping poor communities develop and thrive.
I love waste. To be more specific, I love the reduction, management, utilization, and transformation of waste into something valuable. “One person’s trash is another’s treasure” rings especially true for me, as I see potential in pretty much everything. One of my favorite classes in college was Solid Waste Management, and I participated in stream clean ups throughout my college years. As I considered what to do after I graduated college, I searched for opportunities to work with waste, sustainability, and community development.
Waste utilization is part of what initially drew me to REI in Indonesia and the work I’ve done here.
When you’re seeking to transform communities, selecting the right partners is crucial. So, when it was determined last summer that we would be transitioning away from our partnership with the SunRei Food Products social enterprise, it became clear we had an important task ahead. A colleague had previously encouraged us to take every interaction seriously and view every relationship as a potential partner. That wise advice is beginning to reap benefits, and we are excited to share that we have developed a “new” partnership with Indonesia’s Institute for Agricultural Instrument Standardization (BSIP). BSIP’s task – to increase the competitiveness of Indonesian farmers through effective development and implementation of agricultural standards - meshes well with REI’s mission in Indonesia - to build up Indonesians to build Indonesia.