Sungai Watch is an incredibly successful NGO with a singular focus: “protect and restore our world's rivers by developing and designing simple technologies to stop the flow of plastic pollution from going into the ocean.”
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, plastic production will triple by 2060. About 50% will wind up in landfills and less than 20% will be recycled. Our planet and rivers cannot absorb that much plastic waste.
Sungai Watch is making the difference the world needs.
As a 501(c)3-certified NGO based in Indonesia, they have built a team of 160+ local, full-time River Warriors.
That team is accomplishing quantifiable outputs since 2020:
380 trash-blocking river barriers installed across 37 subdistricts in Bali and East Java, Indonesia
4.2 M kg of non-organic waste collected from rivers, illegal landfill, mangroves, and beaches
2,461 total cleanup organized since 2020
29,353 total volunteers engaged across cleanups and sorting efforts
Their momentum continues.
Starting March 28, 2026, Sungai Watch founders, Gary, Kelly, and Sam Bencheghib will spend 57 days running across Java, the world’s most populated island for their 2026 Run for Rivers initiative. They will run an average of 25 kilometers each day to cover the 1,200-km total distance.
And they’re activating their 3 million+ global supporters to fund the largest river cleanup movement in Indonesia. They have a simple goal: raise $1 million dollars and permanently remove 1 million kilograms of plastics from Indonesia’s waters.
For every dollar donated, they will remove a kilogram of plastic waste from rivers, illegal dumps, mangroves, and beaches throughout Java.
Sungai Watch’s viral content has already galvanized massive volunteer mobilization twice. Their social media initiatives are creating and rewriting national environmental policy.
Run for Rivers 2026 is next.
When the Bencheghibs kayaked the Citarum River in 2017, President Jokowi deployed 7,000 military personnel for cleanup operations. In 2026, 10,000 people showed up to clean the beach in Kedonganan, Bali. President Prabowo and Governor Koster mobilized volunteers including military, community members, military, police, government officials, representation from small-medium businesses, corporations, and fellow NGOs.
Their videos have more than 3 billion organic views. They spark national conversation and international media attention. They know how to turn storytelling into quantifiable impact. And their 57-day run is set to be their biggest story yet.
National Geographic photographer, SeaLegacy co-founder, and recipient of BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Paul Nicklen is producing a feature-length documentary on this historic environmental movement.
Want to be a part of history? Your business can be a major sponsor. Reach out to their team at info@sungaiwatch.com to find out more.
Follow their adventure on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube.
Want to learn more about incredible organizations, change-makers, and experts like Sungai Watch?
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley features weekly speakers from around the world, all on your laptop or cellphone. When Sungai Watch’s Partnerships Manager Dika Dai shared their success stories, we knew we wanted to learn more.
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