Community partner
Jubileum Sumba.A Journey TowardJustice and Wellbeing
Advancing grassroots advocacy, inclusive livelihoods, and community-led change in places where traditional slavery and extreme poverty remain deeply connected.
Central & East Sumba
Uma Mbatangu photo by RaiyaniM / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for display with a dark overlay.
Komunitas Jubileum Sumba is a strategic partner of SINEXUS, implementing community-based programs in Central and East Sumba—regions where traditional slavery practices persist and continue to be a driving factor behind extreme poverty. Through grassroots engagement and advocacy, the community works to challenge these systemic issues and promote inclusive, rights-based development for marginalized groups.
Mission
Towards a Free Sumba: Eliminating Traditional Slavery and Extreme Poverty
Our Strategies
Break the Narrative
Shifting public perception to foster collective understanding and support for the elimination of traditional slavery
Build Community
Strengthening local capacity through the adoption of innovative agricultural techniques to enhance sustainability and food security
Where We Work?
We work in two regencies of Sumba where traditional slavery is a dominant social issue and commonly practiced.
Despite nearly 1 in 3 people in these regencies belonging to the traditional slave caste (Tau Ata), individuals from this group own as low as 4% of the land (compared to 8% of land owned by the noble caste) — a stark reflection of deeply rooted inequality and a major contributor to extreme poverty.
1 in 3
belong to traditional slave caste
4%
of land owned by Tau Ata group
What Are The Problems That We Are Trying To Address?
Our works aimed to contribute to the following problems in Sumba
Malnutrition
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Low productivity of agriculture sector
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Socio-economic inequality deeply rooted in the absence of local democracy
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Impact of extreme weather
∨Activities Portfolio
Capacity building and public advocacy for traditional slavery and extreme poverty elimination
Sponsored by: AOS, Australia Award, FOLU, BPLHK Ministry of Environment
Sumba Festival
Partners: HAND Singapore, HAND Surabaya
Agriculture Transformation Indonesia
Partners: HAND Singapore, HAND Surabaya
Together, We Create Hope and Opportunity
Learn MoreFounder
Umbu Reku Raya is a development economist specializing in inter- and intra-group inequalities of opportunities and development outcomes in Indonesia, with over a decade of experience in community surveys and quantitative impact evaluations. Since 2020, he has led training and mentoring in agroforestry/agriculture technology adoption and slavery abolition for diverse groups in Sumba Island to help combat extreme poverty. He holds a PhD in Economics from the Australian National University and is skilled in institutional and labour economics, inequality analysis, caste and indigenous slavery issues, welfare creation, and quantitative methods. His research covers marine conservation, climate impact assessments, traditional slavery institutions, disaster index insurance, education program evaluations, and COVID-19 policy analysis, with publications in academic journals and reports for organizations such as KOMPAK, OakFund, World Vision, JPAL, and the Asian Development Bank.
Connect with Raya