Alexandre Wettstein

03/06/2026

In Hudumburung, Kawangu, the first new ferrocement reservoir of the 2026 Water Connections programme is rising from the ground.

From a distance, it does not look spectacular. There is no machine, no factory, no big company. There are hands, sand, cement, wire, wood, water, heat, dust, and people working together. Three members of our team are building it with village families, step by step, so the method can later be understood, maintained, repaired, and repeated locally.

This reservoir will store about 5,300 litres of rainwater. It is built with six lighter moulds, 1.50 metres high and 2.12 metres in diameter, using materials available here in Sumba. Around ten days of work are needed to complete one tank. The cost is around CHF 2,245 per reservoir. For this amount, more than 15 people, or about three families, can have safer access to stored water close to where they live.

This is not only construction. It is public health.

When water is far away, children miss school. Women lose hours every day carrying heavy containers. Families drink what they can find. Hygiene becomes difficult. Diarrhoeal diseases, skin infections, parasites, dehydration, and malnutrition become part of daily life. In places like Hudumburung, clean water is not a comfort. It is prevention. It is medicine before illness begins.

With and foundations, we are not bringing a finished object and leaving. We are building with the community. The reservoir belongs to the village because the knowledge stays in the village. That is the only way this work can last.

One tank. Ten days. Local materials. Local hands. More than 15 people with safer water.

This is how the Water Connections programme moves forward in 2026: not with promises, but with concrete, measurable, repairable solutions, built where people need them most.

02/06/2026

25/05/2026

𝗜𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆.

Antibiotics can be bought without a prescription. Injections are given without diagnosis. Painkillers hide severe infections. Families do not do this because they are careless. They do it because the nearest trained medical help may be hours away, transport may be impossible, and the health system often reaches them too late.

This is one of the most dangerous realities we see in the field. Unsafe self-medication can delay diagnosis, worsen infections, damage the kidneys or liver, and contribute to antimicrobial resistance. When bacteria stop responding to antibiotics, simple infections become harder to treat. In rural areas, this danger arrives earlier and hurts harder.

Through the Primary Medical Care program, Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia work with Kawan Sehat health agents to teach safe medicine use, recognise danger signs, avoid unnecessary antibiotics and refer patients earlier.

Read the full article here: https://fairfuturefoundation.org/self-medication-rural-indonesia/

World Health Organization (WHO) - UNICEF - Swiss Development & Cooperation - Embassy of Switzerland in Indonesia - CDC Global - Perth Rotary - Western Australia - International Committee of the Red Cross

Understand self-medication rural Indonesia through field realities where antibiotics, injections and unsafe treatments expose families to resistance, delayed diagnosis and sepsis.

21/05/2026

𝗜𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Not because vaccines do not exist. Not because medicine does not know how to prevent measles, rubella, neonatal tetanus or pertussis. But because health systems often stop before reaching the last village.

In ultra-rural East Indonesia, like here in NTT, prevention is never only a medical act. It is transport, cold-chain logistics, trained staff, trust, education, maternal care and continuity. When one of these elements fails, children remain exposed. When all of them fail, preventable diseases return.

Through the Primary Medical Care programme, Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia work directly with Kawan Sehat health agents inside villages and homes where healthcare rarely comes. Together, we identify unprotected children, speak with mothers, explain danger signs, support early care-seeking and bring prevention closer to families.

After 18 years of Swiss field-based humanitarian work, one thing is clear. Prevention cannot remain a promise written in a national plan. It must reach the child living furthest from the clinic.

Read more about why preventable diseases are returning where vaccination and rural healthcare fail to reach every child https://fairfuturefoundation.org/preventable-diseases-in-children/

UNICEF - World Health Organization (WHO) - CDC Global - Swiss Development & Cooperation - Embassy of Switzerland in Indonesia - Perth Rotary - Western Australia - International Committee of the Red Cross - PATH

Understand preventable diseases in children in ultra-rural Indonesia, where broken outreach, poverty, weak cold chains and distance still leave families unprotected and care arrives too late.

10/05/2026

At the future Rumah Kambera 2.0 site in East Sumba, the Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia teams have completed the first deep drilling work. Two days of physical work, machines, heat, mud and patience. Water was found quickly, clean and fresh enough to make life and construction possible on the land.

This is not a symbolic step. In rural health, water is infrastructure. It protects hygiene, supports construction, allows teams to live and work on site, and will later help us receive patients in safer conditions. Without water, there is no clinic. Without a fixed base, medical supplies remain dispersed, training becomes improvised, and field missions lose time before reaching remote villages.

Rumah Kambera 2.0 will become a socio-medical base with a small medical centre dedicated to the Primary Medical Care program, secure pharmacy, laboratory, training spaces, logistics areas, housing for staff and volunteers, and community spaces. Built with Swiss precision and 16 years of field experience in Indonesia, it is designed for real work, not appearances. It is a base for care, prevention, water, logistics and dignity.

Read more here https://fairfuturefoundation.org/rumah-kambera-drilling-water

- Swiss Development & Cooperation - Embassy of Switzerland in Indonesia - World Health Organization (WHO) - UNICEF - Rotary International - Rotary Club Beaulieu Côte d'Azur - Protokol Sumba Timur

Start Rumah Kambera 2.0 drilling with fresh water found on the land, enabling field teams to prepare construction, live on site, and later care for patients safely in East Sumba now.

07/05/2026

In May 2026, Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia will launch the East Sumba Sepsis Study, a field-based public health initiative designed to understand why severe infections still become fatal in ultra-rural East Indonesia.

Today, we are also making the two raw PDF questionnaires available for public information. These are the paper versions prepared before translation into Bahasa Indonesia and before integration into the digital tools used in the field. Anyone can read them and understand the depth of the study, the questions asked, and the real pathways we want to document.

The household survey will explore how infections begin, how families react, why care is delayed, what barriers prevent referral, and what happens before a patient reaches formal care. The healthcare worker questionnaire will document how severe infections are recognised and managed in hospitals, Puskesmas, village health posts and outreach settings.

This work is not only about data. It is about understanding why a wound, fever, diarrhoea, pneumonia, childbirth complication or post-operative infection can become fatal when transport, medicines, oxygen, staff or time are missing.

After 18 years of Swiss field-based humanitarian and medical work, we know that health data must come from real homes, real patients and real health workers.

Read more about the East Sumba Sepsis Study and access the two raw PDF questionnaires prepared before translation and digital field use https://fairfuturefoundation.org/sepsis-rural-indonesia-study/

- World Health Organization (WHO) - UNICEF - International Committee of the Red Cross - CDC Global - Swiss Development & Cooperation - Embassy of Switzerland in Indonesia - United Nations Development Programme - UNDP - Promkes Dinkes Prov Ntt

Follow the East Sumba Sepsis Study as field teams document infection pathways, delayed care, referral barriers and fragile health systems in ultra-rural East Indonesia.

04/05/2026

𝗜𝗻 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮-𝗿𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆.

A child endures with a festering wound. Fevers remain unaddressed. Women confront pregnancy complications without access to professional care nearby. Pain becomes a part of daily life while malnutrition takes its toll on the body before any infection sets in.

This is not typical and certainly not inevitable; it occurs when healthcare systems fail to extend their reach into the village.

For 16 years, Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia have been actively working in areas where roads are damaged or nonexistent, clean water is limited, medical supplies arrive slowly, and families frequently lack the essential information to identify warning signs.

Our primary focus is medical care, but we integrate it with a broader approach. This includes Primary Medical Care, Kawan Sehat health agents, malaria prevention initiatives, clean water systems development, efficient medical logistics management, field data collection and analysis, educational posters creation and distribution as well as direct patient care—all components of our comprehensive solution.

When addressed promptly, a wound can be prevented from developing into sepsis. Early testing for a fever can stop it from escalating into severe disease. Access to clean water helps prevent illness right from the start.

Preventable suffering should never be considered normal.

Read more https://fairfuturefoundation.org/preventable-suffering-rural-health/

- World Health Organization (WHO) - Swiss Development & Cooperation - Embassy of Switzerland in Indonesia - International Committee of the Red Cross - Rotary Club Beaulieu Côte d'Azur - CDC - UN Women Indonesia - Dinkes SUMBA TIMUR

Expose preventable suffering in rural health, where untreated wounds, fever, pain, unsafe water and weak prevention turn avoidable illness into...

27/04/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗨𝗺𝗯𝘂 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆.

He is a 14-year-old who endured months without proper medical care after suffering severe burns that covered approximately 21% of his body. He did not receive specialised burn treatment, had no pain management plan, underwent no rehabilitation, and was offered no surgery.

Currently, there is no clear indication of an active infection. This is significant. However, it doesn't guarantee Umbu's safety.

His future is at a crucial point. His skin has become toughened, and severe contractures have immobilised his left arm against his body. Movement in his right hand is difficult, preventing ease of use. He struggles to sleep lying down due to significant discomfort associated with extreme malnutrition, weakness, and pain.

This is the impact of delayed burn care on a child. It not only leaves scars but also restricts joint movement, hinders growth, affects mental well-being, and can transform a treatable injury into a lifelong disability.

Umbu now requires a tailored medical treatment plan that includes nutrition, pain management, effective burn wound care, physiotherapy, hospital evaluations, psychological support and likely reconstructive surgery.

Partnering with Fair Future Foundation, Charis Sumba and Kawan Baik Indonesia, we are bringing his case to light because remaining silent would equate to neglect. After dedicating 16 years to Swiss medical and humanitarian efforts in rural Indonesia, one thing is clear: geographical distance should never determine a child's ability to use their body.

Read the full article and understand why Umbu now needs adapted medical care, nutrition, rehabilitation and specialised treatment to protect his future https://fairfuturefoundation.org/aldo-third-degree-burns-indonesia/

Swiss Development & Cooperation - Embassy of Switzerland in Indonesia - Charis Sumba - UNICEF Indonesia - World Health Organization (WHO) - International Committee of the Red Cross

Support third-degree burns care in Indonesia through Umbu’s case in East Sumba, where delayed treatment has left a child with chronic wounds,...

10/04/2026

𝗜𝗻 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮-𝗿𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮, 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝗱𝗱𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀.

This bacterial infection is still underdiagnosed, often confused with dengue, malaria, or simple fever, until jaundice, kidney injury, bleeding, or respiratory distress appear. That is what makes it dangerous.

At Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia, we see how environmental neglect becomes a clinical reality. Plastic waste, poor sanitation, rodent exposure, unsafe water, and delayed access to care are not separate issues. They are on the same risk chain. This is exactly why our work connects Water Connections, Primary Medical Care, hygiene education, wound care, and early referral through trained Kawan Sehat health agents.

For 16 years, with Swiss expertise grounded in field medicine, we have worked where care arrives last or does not arrive at all. Leptospirosis is preventable, but only if prevention begins where people live.

- World Health Organization (WHO) - UNICEF - Swiss Development & Cooperation - Embassy of Switzerland in Indonesia - International Committee of the Red Cross - PATH - CDC Global - UN-Water - Protokol Sumba Timur - Gates Foundation

Read more here

Discover leptospirosis rural Indonesia through the realities of East Sumba, where unsafe water, rodent exposure, poor sanitation, and delayed treatment still drive preventable severe illness.

02/04/2026

SD Padengi Iwi.

Eighteen hours on the road, just to reach one school. No access by car. No electricity. No safety net. Only narrow tracks, rivers, mud, cliffs, and the decision to go anyway.

We rode where roads do not exist. Scooters slipping on soaked clay, crossing fragile wooden bridges, pushing through bushes, falling, getting up, moving again. Rain, wind, exhaustion. At times, we thought we would not make it. And still, we continued.

All this for 24 SolarBuddy lamps. Twenty-four children.

When we arrived, only three were at school. The others had already walked back home. So we went to them. House by house, across the hills, carrying the lamps by hand. Because here, nothing is close. Nothing is easy. And yet, this is where people live.

These lamps are simple. But here, they change everything.
They allow children to walk safely at night, to study, to read, to write.
They replace toxic kerosene lamps that burn lungs and eyes.
They reduce falls, injuries, and risks on these same paths we struggled to cross.

We do this every week. With scooters, with the Truck of Life, on foot if needed. This is not an exception. This is the work.

If it takes 18 hours to reach one school, then we take 18 hours.
Because even for one child, it matters.