Makassar, South Sulawesi

The young MCI crew get into the groove as they wash down the new DME dryer. They now produce virgin coconut oil for the shop and restaurant based at the Centre, proudly named: “The Coconut Groove”

The Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Project (COREMAP) in Eastern Indonesia is funded by the Australian Government aid agency, AusAID. One of the key findings of COREMAP’s survey for the Safety and Survival of fishers was the discovery through needs assessment that many artisanal fishers are ex-copra farmers or the children thereof and have taken to the sea with little knowledge. And that getting them back to seeing the coconut as a viable income source has the potential to assist sustainability of the marine resource.

In addition to the production of DME Virgin Coconut Oil, the Installation and Training Course covered the making of soap, coconut cream, shell charcoal, and making a local sauce called Kecap manis from coconut water. On his return to Jakarta, COREMAP’s area manager, Robert Kingham, wrote:

“I've just returned from Makassar, wildly impressed with the development there — and seeing a bunch of comparative city slickers getting down with farmers and island people doing a good days work. One of the best on-the-job training activities I have ever seen, and all that credit goes to Chris and Kanta. An excellent Asia-Pacific exchange. Thank you.”