Our Story
Led by accredited instructors, Buffalo Pond provides accessible swim safety lessons, education and programs to the community of Lombok.
The Buffalo Pond Experience
We offer professional swimming lessons and programs, alongside drowning prevention efforts using diverse strategies. We also strive to enhance public awareness of drowning by partnering with local communities and training bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation techniques.
Our mission
Our mission is to provide inclusive and accessible swimming and water safety education and programs in Indonesia
What we’re swimming towards
5000
individuals empowered through our basic water safety skills program
1000
swim safety program scholarships
100+
rural communities/ schools enriched in water safety and first aid education programs.
$5000+
worth of water safety equipment donated to local communities (life jackets, flotation devices, tubes for boats etc.
Our values
Our values outline the essence of who we are. They are the way we show up for ourselves, each other, our stakeholders, our communities and those we serve. They are the foundation to how we work, exist, build and engage.
Our story
Buffalo Pond was born out of a combined love of water, the Lombok community and passion for Social Impact. We are working to address the shocking reality of drowning rates in Indonesia – A recent report found that there are 4,518 drownings per year in Indonesia & is a leading cause of death for children, with the highest rates amongst children aged 1–9 years.
This is not only devastating for communities, but also a socioeconomic development challenge with non-fatal drownings causing hypoxic–ischemic brain injury that may result in long-term disabilities ranging from memory problems and learning disabilities to total loss of basic functioning.
Partner with us
Our partners share the purposeful vision to empower individuals and communities. They include non-profits, community leaders, corporations, individuals, and foundations. If you’re interested in contributing to achievement of our mission, we want to hear from you!
Alignment with the UN SDG’s
The 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) are interlinked objectives designed to achieve peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. Nine out of the 17 SDG's are directly or indirectly related to drowning prevention. It is recommended that all countries work to prevent drowning and enhance swimming skills through various strategies and interventions.
FAQs
We combine the principles and practices of both traditional for-profit enterprises and non-profit organisations to achieve social and/or environmental goals. The primary aim of a social enterprise is to create positive change in society or the environment while also generating revenue to sustain and grow its operations.
The consultation period has helped shape Buffalo Pond with community input, aligning our business plan with community needs. Our commitment to ongoing consultation means we'll continually seek input from both local and expat communities.
We are committed to ensure that consultation is not only seen as a pre-emptive step but an ongoing one. We will constantly be seeking information and open to learning from various groups within the community.
Swimming contributes to the achievement of nine out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These include:
SDG 1.1: Eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day;
SDG 3.2: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages;
SDG 4.2: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all;
SDG 5.4: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls;
SDG 6.1: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all;
SDG 8.1: Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances, and in particular at least 7% per annum GDP growth in the least-developed countries;
SDG 10.7: Reduce inequality within and among countries;
SDG 11.1: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable;
SDG 13.1: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Donations play a vital role in ensuring that water safety remains accessible to everyone in our community, regardless of their circumstances. Donations will subsidise swim safety program costs when barriers exist.
