• GROUP SHOTS | 
• The first group | 
• Back in Jakarta | 
• Farewell party | 
• Standing on the tarmac | 
• Standing in the water | 
• On the boat to Hoga | 
• OUR COUNTERPARTS | 
• YARI | 
• Indonesian students | 
• Group shot in the office | 
• Transplantasi | 
• Ellis of many faces | 
• Abed | 
• YASCITA | 
• Ime | 
• Ading | 
• Joanna | 
• Yul | 
• Ofri | 
• Azizah | 
• THE STUDENTS | 
• Student meeting | 
• Yumi | 
• Yoko | 
• Noriko | 
• Yuki | 
• Mai | 
• Taiki | 
• Dai | 
• Yayami | 
• Ai | 
• Dwi, Ganda & ??? | 
• Dwi | 

Group shots

The first group

Japanese from Azabu University, and a hastily arranged group of local students marine biology students from Kendari. It was a very good group.

Back in Jakarta

The same Japanese group,back in Jakarta, cleaned up after a night in hotel; and minus the Kendari students who stayed behind in Kendari.

Farewell party

Students mixing with the community at the farewell party at the end of the first program.

Standing on the tarmac

A smaller group, with only five Japanese students and three Indonesian students from Jakarta.

We are on the tarmac at Kendari airport.

The downpour lurking in those clouds hit us on the way back from the airport

Standing in the water

The same group lining up just off Baho, waiting to start a little field introduction to marine life in the shallows.

On the boat to Hoga

The first group on the way to Hoga Island in Wakatobi National Park, a long day’s boat ride from Baho.

Our Counterparts

Yari

...is a Kendari-based NGO whose members are marine biology graduates from the local university.

This is our first meeting with them in Kendari. Rika Novida (bottom, left) set things up for us with the leader, Otong (right) to do our program in Baho.

Indonesian students

While I & Yari sort out exactly how we go about the program, the students get to know their Indonesian counterparts in the next room.

These local students came from the same university as the Yari members, and were only a few years junior.

Group shot in the office

We had the program worked out within an hour or so, and ready to leave for Baho the next day.

Transplantasi

Yari is a small NGO dedicated to coastal marine conservation. Their main source of funding at that time for restoration of the coral reefs around Baho.

The work involved transplanting coral fragments onto these concrete things and placing on degraded reefs, to stimulate reef regrowth.

Even Yari admits that the work is of limited usefulness in itself, and more of a flagship activity to put a spotlight on the need to protect the reefs and allow them to recover.

Ellis of many faces

Elisnawaty is her real name. Marine biology graduate and Yari member.

Ellis is a natural teacher and later joined us on other programs, including Manado

Abed

...seen here with Ai on the second program, viewing pictures of the first, is another member of Yari.

Abed was at that time local coordinator for Baho.

YASCITA

... is another Kendari-based NGO specializing in community development.

Many of the members are media professionals, and YASCITA has its own television station.

Here they interview some of our students.

It was Yascita who first introduced us to Yari.

Ime

...seen here with Joanna, is from Yascita.

Ading

... the only member from Yascita that joined us on most of our programs.

Joanna

...from Sabah where she set up the homestay program there, came to help Yari and the community organize the homestay in Baho.

Yul

Full name: Yunaldi Yahya.

Yul came from Jakarta where he worked for yet another NGO called Terangi.

Yul worked with us on two of our visits.

He now works for Reefcheck and lives in Bali.

Ofri

...is also from Terangi.

He likes having his picture taken with Japanese girls.

Azizah Rahmawati

I first met the charming Azizah in Sumatra, during our program in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park

Azizah by now was working on GIS in Jakarta.

We ended up not doing much with maps, but Azizah got some experience in coral reef ecology and snorkeling, which was the real reason I invited her along.

Azizah was very helpful in liaising with the women of the community.

The students

Some students leave more of an impact than others.

There are some that come more than once to my programs, and I always enjoy observing how they change with each visit.

Student meeting

The students in our third group having a group discussion during our homestay workshop.

They are putting together their expectations about what they would like to see and do as visitors which will be put to the community.

Yumi

...is visited Baho twice.

She also came to Palawan, and Kinabatangan in Sabah

Yoko

30 years old at the time, and works part time as a teacher of kindergaten children, which seems to be her forte.

Noriko

Has been to seven of my programs and has finally “graduated” to go and do volunteer teaching in Sabah.

Yuki

Came to Palawan & Kinabatangan.

A "terrestrial" student, in that like many of the students at his college, was a nature lover fixed rigidly on terrestrial animals.

This was his first introduction to a marine environment and its ecology.

Like many who try once, he wanted more and later joined a longer (and photographed!) coral reef ecology program of mine in Palawan.

Mai

Along with Noriko, a veteran of Palawan, Komodo, & Manado.

Taiki

Dai

Very popular with the children and young guys in Baho, almost to the level of Pied Piper.

He is f rom the same college as Yuki, Yumi, Yoko & Taiki and in fact was responsible for 'recruiting' them.

Yayami

Only eighteen at the time, but grew rapidly over the space of three programs.

Yayami has graduated now works for Japanese travel agency in Sabah.

Ai

Often inseparable from Noriko, holds No 2 place after Noriko in the number of programs she has participated in (six).

Dwi, Ganda & ???

I am not good with names.

These three Indonesian students came from Jakarta.

Dwi

One of the three students from Jakarta.

Energetic with a marvellous personallity - a star student.