about me

Sama Sama Stories is both a storytelling platform and a community based initiative focused on education, cultural dialogue, local tourism and sustainable village development in Indonesia.

My name is Aleksandra (Ola) and I’m based between Poland, the Netherlands and Indonesia.

I work primarily across the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), supporting local foundations and local organisations such as ECCO Foundation in developing educational and social projects, including assistance in obtaining grants, fundraising, promoting local tourism and building long-term community initiatives.

I also work to connect local projects with donors, partners and investors interested in supporting local initiatives financially or through long-term collaboration, many of which can be explored further in Blog section.

At the same time, Sama Sama Stories serves as a space for essays, field stories and reflections exploring Indonesia’s cultural diversity and ongoing social transformations. Through anthropology-inspired storytelling, I write about changing traditions, local identities, language, education, community life and the complex cultural and political shifts shaping contemporary Indonesia.

A central part of my work is creating space for local voices. Many of the stories are built around the experiences, perspectives and everyday realities of community members themselves, their aspirations, challenges and visions for the future. I aim to document Indonesia beyond simplified narratives, stereotypes and exoticized (hate that expression!) representations, approaching communities with respect, curiosity and sensitivity.

I believe that culture cannot be understood without listening to people and that meaningful social change begins with dialogue, education and local collaboration.