Meanwhile back on Gili Sunut

With no kids on the site this week, we made a quick visit to the island.

As is now customary, we were greeted by the kids who rushed down to the beach to see what treats we had brought for them! Their passion for life and warm smiles reminded us why we are all here.

The excitement builds at Teanjah Anjah

Driving along the new road towards the village, it was clear that the terracotta roof tiles had arrived on site and work was now progressing to complete the first six homes.

Touring the site, we could see that most of the foundations for all the 109 houses had now been completed and the physical shape of the village was easier to identify. With some houses nearing completion you could see where the roads, private gardens and public area would be in relation to one another.  

As well as the bright red terracotta roof, a number of houses were being rendered outside, while another team was busy dry lining the interiors and putting up the ceilings in the three rooms homes.  One house even had a fresh coat of pink paint on the exterior. “It’s a modern colour’ laughed one builder, as we discussed a more environmentally sympathetic range of colours!

Building a sustainable future for the community

After only 4 weeks work, the new village at Teanjah Anjah takes shape thanks to 300 workers from the local community and construction industry working together to beat the rainy season.

When Ocean Blue Resorts Indonesia announced the start of the relocation programme in August 2010 it did not expect the overwhelming response to the news.

By week four of the construction schedule, Team Sunut confirmed that the project was so far ahead of schedule that it was running out of cash!


Project Manager for Team Sunut, Pak Zen, confirmed that due to the immanent rainy season, the labour force had been increase to 300 people and the supply of materials increased to keep the pace with the good weather. He pointed out that the foundations for all 109 houses needed to be completed while the weather remained good. Slowing up was not an option when you are in a race against Mother Nature. With emotions running high, and expectations even higher, CEO Martin Gow flew to Lombok to take a second look at the site and provide an extra cash boost to Phase One of the Resort project.

Team Sunut were on hand to give OBRI a tour of the construction site and review the great progress being made.

Now the land has been cleared, the vast scale of the project becomes more apparent. Sitting 15 meters above sea level, the site offers incredible views of the ocean. And as Teanjah Anjah sits at the end of a peninsular, the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean wrap around three sides on the village.

An exciting new start for the community

Phase One of the relocation programme starts with heavy diggers and ground clearance teams arriving at the Teanjah Anjah site. Over 300 builders are employed at the site to ensure Ocean Blue Resorts and Team Sunut can complete the new village before the rain season starts.

Thanks to Ocean Blue Resorts and their investors, work has started on relocating the villagers from Gili Sunut to the new site at Teanjah Anjah. Heavy diggers moved in to clear the land and prepare for the construction of 109 new houses, a school, mosque, clinic and home industry centre. With the Community Action Plan now well underway this ambitious project aims relocate the villagers from Gili Sunut before the end of 2010. Weather permitting!!
As well as new homes, the construction team lead by Lalu Yasin has also started to build a new 4.5km access road to the new village. Team Sunut and the CEO of PT Ocean Blue Resorts Indonesia were on site to see the convoy of lorries arrive and watch the infrastructure stage take shape.
To announce the start of the construction, the local Chamat and his advisors on the project paid a surprise visit to Gili Sunut to celebrate with the villagers. Community leaders were quick to spread the good news and discuss the opportunity for the villagers to be involved in the construction of their new homes. As part of Ocean Blue Resorts commitment to community support, the first team of workers were signed up to help clear the vast site and build a temporary store to house equipment and materials.

New Land Bought For Village

The Community Action Plan for the villagers on Gili Sunut has taken another step forward. Ocean Blue Resorts is please to announce the purchase of 8 hectares of land. Located on the Lombok mainland and only 3 km from the Resort. The land at TEANJAH ANJAH, in the PEMONGKONG, district JEROWARU will be used to build the new village complete with 109 houses, electricity and fresh water. Plans have already been drawn up and approved for the village and ground work will commence in August 2010. This is the first stage in the process of regenerating the area and to create a sustainable future for the villagers.

Sunut Surprises

This week the villagers had a surprise visit from our friends on the mainland. They were delivering gifts donated by Matik Financial in America and Ocean Blue Resorts. It was a big occasion with T-shirts, food parcels and toys being given out to all the islanders. Local officials where there to help distribute the goods and present the village with a TV and solar panel. It was a real experience for them as most of the 94 children on the island had never seen a TV before. We are hoping that as well as the entertainment factor the TV can be used as a teaching tool in the small school. A generator and well pump were also among the gifts generously donated by local businesses in Lombok.

Rainy Season

Life on the island doen't get any easier in the rainy season. Fishing in the rougher waters means the catch is limited. And that mean less to sell at the market. The brave villagers struggle through the down pour and look forward to better days.