(Photo courtesy of Amalia Yunita Korua)
Amalia Yunita Korua, a mountain climber, whitewater rafter, cave explorer, and wife, has set her foot on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaru–soaring 16,893 feet tall–representing the Indonesian flag. She serves as a CEO at Arus Liar and Secretary General for Global Rescue Network. Amalia also oversees her foundation, Female Trekker for Lupus, that gathers women to climb mountains around the world in an effort to raise awareness for lupus.
The adventurous mother of three talks about her experience with mountain climbing and becoming a social entrepreneur albeit her degree in chemical engineering.
You’re a professional mountain climber and you’ve conquered the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, how did you get started?
It all began 20 years ago when I started a mountain climbing community at Trisakti University with 9 other friends. Yes, as a woman, we have many responsibilities. In fact, our community went on a hiatus since all of us got married and had to take care of our children. But we wanted to prove that women, too, could take part in adventurous activities. After the hiatus, we climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania for the second time in 2008 and Chimborazo and Cotopaxi, Ecuador in 2011.
What are your likes and dislikes of mountain climbing?
As a mother of three, I get worried whenever I go on expeditions because I have to leave them for three weeks. It gets worse when there’s no telephone signal, the only mountain I climbed so far that has connectivity is Mount Kilimanjaro.
Aside from that, I love mountain climbing. In fact, my children have always been exposed to different types of adventures since they were young. My son, for example, tried mountain biking when he was 8 years old while my daughter enjoys rock climbing. During the holidays, it has become our family tradition to try new adventures.
What other adventurous activities have you done besides mountain climbing?
I’ve done caving and sailing. I actually sailed from Sulawesi to Jakarta with a traditional boat which measures one meter wide and nine meters long. The traditional boat, known as sandeq, now sits in Jakarta’s maritime museum. Back in 1991, I wanted to do an activity in remembrance of my ancestors who were sailors (referring to the song “Nenek Moyangku Seorang Pelaut”) so I decided to sail from Sulawesi to Jakarta. There were four of us, I was the only female and the sail to Jakarta took three weeks. One thing I’ll never forget is getting seasick for the first three days and having no choice but to eat instant noodle everyday!
What are you trying to achieve with Female Trekkers for Lupus?
Many people, especially women, have died from lupus before a diagnosis is even made. For this reason, I started Female Trekkers for Lupus with the goal is to raise public’s awareness of lupus. In 2006, we went on our first hike to Kala Patthar Mountain in Nepal. Last year, our team climbed twelve mountains in Indonesia and made presentations to educate the local communities about lupus.
You recently received the Tupperware SheCAN! and Indonesia Responsible Tourism Award, tell us more about it.
I never expected to receive a Tupperware SheCAN! Award. Long story short, Tupperware recognized my effort to empower, enlighten and educate the society about lupus through “Female Trekkers for Lupus”. I won the Indonesia Responsible Tourism Award on behalf of my rafting company, Arus Liar. Just until a few years ago, I never knew much about corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, Arus Liar has always been socially responsible in ways like growing trees to protect the river and training employees to maintain river cleanliness. The award made me realize that CSR is not merely about meeting social responsibility guidelines, but is also about helping others and giving back to the community.
How did you get started with Arus Liar?
There were not many Indonesians interested in rafting during the 1990s. Even though I pursued a major in civil engineering, I spent more time going on expeditions than attending lectures. I’ve rafted at Zambezi River in Africa as well as other rafting spots in Europe. Those trips convinced me that rafting has its potential in Indonesia’s tourism industry.
Yet, Arus Liar had a difficult start. Whenever I called potential clients, they would always say, “Why should I pay such a high price just to risk my life?” Back then Arus Liar did not have many customers aside from the expatriates. It was challenging to get local customers interested in rafting. However, with many tourists and local companies nowadays attending our outbound programs, finding customers is no longer an issue for us.
Can you tell us a little bit about Global Rescue Network (GRN)?
It’s a non-governmental organization I found in 2003 with 39 other Indonesians. GRN provides rescue and relief in response to various disasters common in Indonesia including floods, earthquakes and tsunamis. For example, one week after the 2004 Aceh tsunami and earthquake, our medical and logistics team brought 2000 nasi bungkus for the victims. Much of what GRN does involves hands-on volunteer work.
What’s next?
We are planning to go to an expedition in South Pole this coming December. Right now the team is still trying to find sponsors. And of course, if it succeeds it’ll be another dream come true for us. My other plan is to start a new company like Arus Liar Adventure but with a new business concept known as Create Shared Value in which business and society are brought together. Through this concept, the community is not only involved in the business, but also achieving greater economic success; hence, a higher standard of living.
What advice do you have for future social entrepreneurs?
From what I’ve seen, many people have a wrong mindset that without any money, it’s impossible to start a business. Money is one thing. What’s more important, though, is your passion and willingness to address social problems. Stick with your passion and don’t worry about the money – when there is a will, there is a way.
Amalia Yunita Korua was talking to Nabila Gunawan and Samuel Tjandrawinata
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