FIND A PROGRAMME
Book your next adventure now!
Want to make a real difference, whilst exploring one of the worlds last true wildernesses?
Choose from a wide range of opportunities, from volunteer placements to specialist Internships in the magnificent Leuser Ecosystem in North Sumatra, Indonesia!
We still have spaces this summer (2023) for volunteers! If you'd be interested in joining us this year but cannot completely commit to the dates for one of our cycles, please apply anyway and we can discuss a time period that would work for you.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Established by the United Nations in 2015, as a universal call to action, for all nations, developed and developing to work together in a single partnership, to tackle the greatest issues of our time.
That is why, the Bukit Lawang Trust, has aligned itself with the United Nations, and tailored all of its programs to work towards one or more of the 17 sustainable development goals!
WHY BLT?
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17 Years in the making:
Since 2003 the Bukit Lawang Trust has been supporting the bordering communities along the edge of the Severely Endangered Leuser Ecosystem. Our programs have been developed over years and in partnership with a wide range of NGOs and education providers to ensure that the education you deliver on your placement is second to none!
Partnerships & Collaboration:
we work with a community of project partners to deliver high standard conservation and education programs, see all of our partners at the bottom of the home page.
Flexibility:
with five 'Volunteer Cycles' every year our bookings are completely flexible with free cancellation and rescheduling up to 30 days before your flight! to give you extra peace of mind.
Outstanding Reviews:
Our volunteer reviews speak for themselves! find out what our volunteers thought in the reviews section at the bottom of the page!
Remote Opportunities:
Because we understand that not everyone has the time or the money to travel to Indonesia we offer unique digital roles for our conservation warriors on the home front!
Grassroots Family:
We pride ourselves in being a grassroots family, and that's why all of our international staff are dedicated unpaid volunteers, to allow us to invest the vast majority of donations directly to the people who need it most!
Like what you see?
Why not join our staff team?
As we approach our 20 year anniversary the Trust is in an unprecedented time of change and growth, and there has never been a better time to join the family!
With a range of roles available for international and local candidates alike you'd be mad not to check it out!
Jungle Exploration!
The Bukit Lawang Trust is dedicated to supporting local enterprises in and around the community of Bukit Lawang in North Sumatra. In particular we support those enterprises that are both environmentally and economically sustainable. That's why we've teamed up with five eco tourism providers in the local area to provide every single one of our volunteers with a two day expedition into the Tropical Leuser Ecosystem.
Explore the Gunung Leuser National park. The last place on Earth one can find Orangutans, Tigers, Elephants, Clouded Leopards, Rhinoceros, and Sun Bears living together in the wild.
Jungle Trekking
Extra Activities!
DIGITAL NOMAD
Put your social media skills to the test in our exciting new role as a Bukit Lawang Trust Digital Nomad.
Work directly with our recruitment team to like, share and raise awareness of the Trust and all of its phenomenal programs In Universities, clubs, groups and communities. Use content creation software to create inspiring and impactful posts & help nurture a global revolution in sustainable living and environmental conservation.
Duration: Type:
26 - 52 week Internship
Apply Now!
Experience Culture!
Over the past 17 years the Bukit Lawang Trust has developed partnerships with many local entrepreneurs in an effort to support sustainable micro enterprises. As part these partnership we now offer several amazing traditional workshops to give our volunteers experiences in local Indonesian culture.
Bamboo Weaving Workshop: Our volunteers join the talented Ibu Sukma to learn the traditional art of bamboo weaving. In this workshop you will learn how to create your own bowl out of sustainably sourced bamboo!
Organic Soap Making Workshop: Our volunteers travel to the nearby village of Tibang Jaya to meet Kakak Aini, who delivers an organic soap making workshop. All of the ingredients are found in the ground, and participants make their own organic soap from garden to Soap.
Tree Planting Days: One of the many ways the Bukit Lawang Trust works to offset its carbon emissions, every volunteer on one of the Trusts programs has the opportunity to travel deep into the jungle to plant new fruit trees, thus increasing the food supply and diversity available for local mega fauna species and drawing away endangered species from Human populations.
Traditional Workshops!
SUPPORTING PROJECTS
As well as all of our amazing volunteer opportunities, the Bukit Lawang Trust also provides these exciting supporting projects that are available for volunteers from any program to participate!
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Obrolan Wanita
'Obrolon Wanita’ roughly translates as ‘Women’s Talk’. The idea of this group is to create a safe space for women to address topics which in Indonesian society are often considered taboo. This project stems from our involvement with the NGO Days for Girls, which promotes the empowerment of marginalised and impoverished women all over the world through the facilitation of training and education. Days for Girls provide free reusable sanitary kits for women living in poverty, they currently deliver these to the Trust every few months for us to hand out to the neediest in our community. In order to be culturally sensitive, this programme is largely delivered by female volunteers, as its important to create a comfortable environment for the women involved, however, male volunteers who are passionate and keen to help often support in the planning and organisation of sessions and events.
Obrolan Wanita
Fitness Classes
Here at the Bukit Lawang Trust, we believe that a healthy body directly facilitates a healthy mind.
That's why we provide a wide range of Volunteer and Staff led fitness classes every week available to all our volunteers, staff and the wider community!
Our current fitness classes include;
- Aerobics
-Zumba style dance fitness
- Yoga
Our fitness classes are constantly changing and we actively encourage our volunteers to take part and even lead our classes if they have the know how.
Fitness Classes
Jungle Food Project
Jungle Food Project
With the outbreak of the global Corona Virus (COVID-19) Pandemic in early 2020 the community of Bukit Lawang, which until now relies almost entirely on tourism for the success of its economy and the livelihoods of its people, suffered a serious blow. With the widespread closure of borders and the request for all foreign nationals to leave Indonesia (including half of our staff team!), people in Bukit Lawang very quickly began to struggle finding enough money to feed themselves and their families.
In response to this crises the Trust team quickly created a fundraising campaign known as #feedthefifty. The aim of the campaign was to raise enough money to provide food for fifty families for an entire month. It was an outstanding success! and the Team successfully fed over 300 families throughout the COVID-19 lockdown.
As things began to settle down an domestic tourism was allowed to return to the community the fundraiser was developed into a project which we still run to this day. Every month we deliver food parcels to those most in need in and around Bukit Lawang, and our volunteers run the show!
INCREDIBLE RIGHT!?
But don't just take our word for it... see what our volunteers have to say!
