Category: Cibening

All workers received their salary and they also received medicine, tooth paste and tooth brushes. Some of the workers got high fever because the weather is changing, it more hot than last month, they covered their heads with caps, hats or just T shirt but they did not bring drinking water while they work.

The workers do a regular treatment for the trees including the fruit trees, although the pest has been gone the treatment should be given continuously to protect the trees from fungi and insect. The wild grass still grow every where and cover the soil around the trees, the workers now can cut it easily because they already got knives and hoes to cut the grass and open the soil around the trees.

Water problem has been solved by cleaning the two water resources at the 4 years trees area. The water resources are used 1 for taking a drinking water and the other one is for bathing and washing. The workers also made a new water resource, although it is not big but the water debit can be used to water the trees

There is one gazebo that is located at the 2 years trees area and now is not used anymore, this week, the supervisor Parid and some workers will clean and fix it so the workers can use it for resting during the break

To know the diameter of the tree accurately, we need to measure by special equipment (sikmat), the measurement will be done this month.

The madrasah and small mosque are almost ready to be used, according to the plan the people will use it for Ramadhan (fasting month) praying. Some donators gave donation like cement, tiles, roof or paint. The madrasah school also requested Goldteak to donate.

When the third project was opened, workers facilities were also build, like houses with toilet and water container, gazebos and road. Step by step, all the facilities are being completed. The houses and gazebos are provided with mattresses, pillows, pandan carpets.

The Madrasah school now is almost finished, village people and Goldteak workers are together hand in hand to build it. The contraction materials are from donators, they donate cements, tiles, tile roofs, bamboo, wood, paint. The next donation that they need are black boards, chairs, books.

Today, all workers felt happy because they got what they needed to work. Each of them got a hoe, a cutting knife, a branch cutting knife and a sickle. The tools usually will last about six to eight months, especially for the sickles and the hoes. The land is hard, because some area covers with stones or rocks.

Hot season has started in the beginning of July, although sometimes there is a rain falling one or two days, but it does not help the ground. In some area, we can see that the land is broken.

The view from the side of the worker house look beautiful, the teak trees are growing tall and healthy. Solomon teak is really the best teak tree, the trunk grows bigger and stronger, the leaf grow green without caterpillars and the root goes down in the ground and grows strong without disease.

At this time, water resources are drying, and water is very limited at one or two places in the field. Some of the workers try to find the water resources down the river in the village. Beside to find new resources, the side manager will bring water from outside the village.

Acacia, mahogany trees are now 5 months old, The survived acacia look good and healthy. They are well maintained and protected from the diseases and pests. Every day, one or two guardians check the trees condition, they have to cut the wild grass around the trees and make sure that all tree get enough sun light and get enough nutrition (the wild grass takes the soil nutrition).

Last week, all workers has given working equipments like hoes, cutting knives, sickles. Rainy season does not end yet, so the grass keep growing. If the grass grows faster, it will take the soil nutrition more and the trees will grow slow. Especially in early hot season, the land will have less water and get more sun light.

The young teak trees now is about three to four meter high for the healthy and survived ones. The last planted trees and replanted trees now are about one to two meters high.

The trees that get less sun light now growing higher because the bamboo trees which cover the trees were already cut off.

On July 8th, all Indonesian voted for the President and the Vise President, all the workers participated also, even they became supporters one of the candidates.

Cibening village now is growing, not only the economic, social, education, religion but also politic in simple way.

Some new trees grow faster than the others, the height is almost two meters or more, and others still have normal height about one and half meters.

The replanted trees now grow well and have normal height, about 75 cm to one meter. 
All trees have enough sun light and water, they have big trunk and wide leafs. Every month it will grow new bud and the trunk will grow high and big.

Guardians have a right to take a rest for lunch, pray and coffee/tea, usually they take a rest at gazabos or go back to their house. Some of the guardians take an opportunity to smoke, because they are forbidden to smoke at the field.

Wife of pak Zaini (Goldteak site manager) donated several sacs of cements to the Madrasah (Islamic school) at Cibening village. This is a personal donation, she and her family gave support to the school.

The village now have an elementary school and also a madrasah school, the children have an opportunity to develop their knowledge for both need, emotional and intelligence knowlwdge.

Since Goldteak has been giving the support for the school, people also expect that Goldteak can support the madrasah as well.

In the new plantation area, 20 ha, Goldteak also planted fruit trees; durian trees, orange trees and mango trees. These trees also need maintaining like cutting the sedge grass, giving the insecticide and fungicide.

Planting the fruit trees in the new plantation area give an opportunity to goldteak to provide an extra income for the guardians during the growing years. The guardians also have an opportunity to plant the green beans surround the house. They have already got the first harvest last month.

Planting fruit trees in the new plantation also give a variation of plants. The land will have Monoculture of teak trees and fruit trees as a balance. It creates the good ecosystem in the plantation.

The two years teak trees still need regular treatments like cutting the sedge grass, opening the soil around the tree, cutting the branches and giving the insecticide and fungicide.

Some guardians use manual system to spray (using the plastic bottle and manual sprayer) and cut the sedge grass by using chopping knives.

Because the sedge grass grows fast, two weeks later after cutting or spraying it is already half meter high. Guardians need to work hard and fast to cut or spray the grass with limited tools because the to cut the grass need to use strong knives and sprayers. The knives and the sprayers are sold in a market usually do not last long. The strong knives should be made by an iron smith and the price is more expensive. The stainless still sprayers are stronger than the plastic ones.

The teak trees are 4 months old, they grow well and healthy. To make the trees are always healthy, we have to do maintaining like cutting wild grass (sedge-grass) around the trees, giving insecticide and fungicide to protect the trees from insects pest and fungi.

Sedge-grass take the soil nutrition near the trees, when we cut them the soil around the trees will receive the ultra violet and it will help the trees absorb the nutrition well.

Other grass like King Grass is needed to avoid erosion in sloping land, teak trees have stilt rood and for the young ones they are not strong enough to hold the soil, the King grass will help the trees to keep the nutrition so the roots can absorb the food easily.

The area of plantation is surrounded by agricultural area like pddy field and vegetables garden , the pest which attack this area will migrate easily to the plantation by wind or beetles.

We have to make terraces on the sloping land, not only to protect the land from erosion but also to give the trees enough sun light from all sides.

There are several trees can not survive from decease caused death, most of the cases are from the pests, fungi or less treatment.

The plantation now looks green, we can see from the guardians houses or gazebos. The trees grow taller, the leafs grow bigger and the root grow stronger.

The young trees now are growing faster with well maintaining. Although some trees can not stand with the disease and they were about 500 trees died. Replanting has been done lately and a maintaining for premature trees should be done very carefully.

There are several guardians from the previous project move to the new project to help the new guardians. They basically divided into areas, they work in north, south, west and east area. Some guardians spray the trees, some guardians cut the wild grass, some guardians put fertilizer and some open the soil around the trees and also give water to the trees.

The new three gazebos and two houses for the workers has been completed. There are four families stay at the new house and the gazebos are already used for day rest. The new houses are completed each with a restroom and toilet, the guardians put some plants in front of the house. They also plant vegetables, chilly and tomato trees. They built a goat and chicken house.

One of the supervisor had green bean and soya bean harvest, he also harvest a giant cassava. The tree has about 40 to 50 kg cassava, at this time he does not sell it because he can not afford to pay the transportation to bring it to the market.

Sukabumi village nowdays has an epidemic chicken pox, some of the children in Cibening area got a chicken pox. Up to now, the local government has not come to the village to give the medication. One of the guardian’s son got chicken pox also, Goldteak sent him to the doctor.

Working safety equipments are needed for the guardians, the guardians who do not have boots wear plastic shoes and this makes they feet burnt. The problem is when they have burnt feet, they are easily infected. Now they have new boots and for the burnt feet, Goldteak gave them medicine.

Mid of May, the six grade students (17 students) had a national examination and the other low grades just finished the school examination. During last four years, the school has upgraded the students level. Now they can reach an equal level with other school nearby the village.
End of May, there were four children of Goldteak guardians had circumcision ceremony. They were included the other 300 children who took the mass circumcision ceremony.

Every Friday, one of the guardian joins the local people to build the new Madrasah (Islamic Afternon School), The guardians help to bring the stones from the plantation to build the school foundation.