Andi & Dina Foundation

Andi & Dina are a husband-and-wife. Andi is a native Sasak from Lombok who began his path as a national activist, actively involved in advocacy work during his time in Jakarta. Dina, originally from Kalimantan, built her career in Indonesia’s capital as a television journalist. The two met in Jakarta, then chose to marry and return to Lombok, dedicating their lives to preserving local culture.

Since 2016, Andi & Dina have been building a life and business rooted in local wisdom—ranging from traditional textiles and architecture to indigenous food systems. Their commitment goes as far as transforming 4 hectares of land into a natural cotton farm (Gossypium sp.), used as raw material for their textile work. Alongside this, they conduct research, develop cultural practices, and run a cultural education initiative.

Volunteering with Andi & Dina is not just an experience—it is a return to an ancestral way of life. You will step into a rhythm that is slower, more intentional, and deeply connected to nature. It is an opportunity to understand how people lived, sustained themselves, and cared for their well-being long before modern systems took over.

Although electricity has reached the village, Andi & Dina consciously limit its use. Through this, they rediscover how the human body adapts to darkness and natural rest cycles. As a volunteer, you will still have a private room with access to electricity and internet. When water supply stops, Andi draws water from the well. Vegetables are picked fresh from the garden, while other necessities are purchased modestly from the traditional market.

Daily life also includes caring for geese, ducks, dogs, and goats. The traditional kitchen, free from gas or modern stoves, becomes the heart of the home—using dried leaves, wood, and coconut shells as fuel. Everything is practiced as a conscious step toward living independently from factory-made systems.

At night, you will walk under minimal light, allowing your eyes to slowly adjust to the darkness. Days end before sunset, following an ancient rhythm of life. You will sleep in a house with a thatched roof and bamboo walls, resting on natural cotton pillows grown without pesticides. And if you are fortunate, you may sleep on an ancestral Sasak bed dating back to the colonial era, protected by a hand-sewn cotton mosquito net—carefully stitched over 13 days, each thread carrying patience and story.

This is not just a place—it is a way of life.
Are you ready to experience it?

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About Andi and Dina Foundation

Andi, a young Sasak man, is a cultural researcher and practitioner, and his wife, Dina, former reporter and national television news presenter since 2008-2014. After pursuing careers in the capital city of Jakarta, Andi and Dina returned to their hometown of Lombok in 2019.

Andi and Dina migrate from one island to another, eventually settling down. Currently, they live in a village surrounded by rice paddies, cows, and the sun behind Mount Rinjani.
Their love for Indonesian culture and traditions led Andi and Dina to establish a cultural institution under the Andi and Dina Foundation.

The Andi and Dina Foundation's overarching vision is to preserve culture and realize Indonesia's clothing sovereignty. The Andi and Dina Foundation focuses on education and culture, as well as job training for the private creative industry.

Andi and Dina incorporate the daily lifestyle of traditional communities into their education curriculum. They learn everything from simple things like how to light a fire for cooking, how to make chili sauce, and how to roast coffee in a clay pan over a clay stove.
Dina cooks using coconut shells, dried coconut leaves, and dried coconut fronds. Andi and Dina light the fire with a wooden match.

In Giri Tembesi Village, Andi and Dina are the only Muslim residents. One hundred families there are Hindus from Nusa Penida Island, Bali. The Balinese Hindu community from Nusa Penida lives on for seven generations. Here, we can see how Lombok's Sasak and Balinese cultures merge.

The Andi and Dina Foundation stands on a traditional Sasak site with seven buildings.

All the roofs are made of alang-alang (Impreta cylindrica). The roof frame is made of bamboo, the pillars are made of wood, and the floors are plastered with soil and fresh cow dung.

The guest house, built during the colonial era, consists of 21 pillars. The beds are also colonial-made. If you're lucky, you'll experience sleeping on a bed covered with a cotton mosquito net, the fabric of which is handmade using a Sasak loom (Backstarploom). Sleeping on pillows and mattresses filled with organically grown cotton offers a unique and therapeutic experience.

Next to the kitchen is a pen with two Swiss dairy goats from the Saanen Valley. Andi and Dina milk the Saanen goats and drink their milk.

Five ducks also roam freely around, along with two small dogs named Bona (black and white) and Boni (brown). Bona Boni was only one month old in February 2026.
In addition, there is a pair of Greylag geese (Andre Andre), which are easily found in Bengal, India.

Every morning, Andi cuts grass and fresh leaves for the goats. Meanwhile, the geese and ducks are fed bran from a neighbor's rice mill.

Vegetables are picked from Andi and Dina's yard. There are cassava leaves, papaya leaves, moringa leaves (Moringa oleifera), basil leaves (Ocimum africanum), grass jelly (Cyclea barbata) for jelly, cosmos caudatus leaves, green coconuts and ivory coconuts, and katuk leaves (Sauropus androgynus).

Many elementary school-aged children live around Andi and Dina. They sometimes stop by to play while learning English and schoolwork.

Dozens of girls are Balinese dancers. This is how Balinese people cultivate dance as part of Hindu religious ceremonies. Boys are taught from an early age to use musical instruments to accompany the dancers.

Andi and Dina's house is only a hundred meters from the temple where Hindus pray. Hindu cultural activities, such as music and dancing, are usually held at the Banjar Dharmayasa Temple.

Every Hindu household has livestock like cows and chickens.

Andi and Dina have two bicycles that you can use to explore the surrounding area. Ready to ride a bike and enjoy the fresh morning air in the open air?

We look forward to welcoming you to Giri Tembesi Village, West Lombok, Indonesia.

Warm Regards,

Andi & Dina

We adhere to the principle of treating our guests with the best possible care. To us, volunteers are our friends, our guests, and even our new family.