Bringing HOPE for LIFE, Gelang Harapan invites the public to care about the conservation of Sumatran elephants. Gelang Harapan initiated by Wulan Guritno, together with her two best friends, Janna Soekasah Joesoef and Amanda Soekasah aims to invite the public to care and play an active role in spreading hope in all aspects of life.

The goodwill started with Wulan Guritno, Janna Soekasah Joesoef, and Amanda Soekasah's visit to Tesso Nilo National Park in August 2018. The three of them saw firsthand the activities of the Elephant Flying Squad Team in the native habitat of the Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus). Elephant Flying Squad or Elephant Patrol Team is a team consisting of elephant nurses/mahouts and trained elephants. The team, introduced by WWF-Indonesia and Tesso Nilo National Park since 2004, is tasked with conducting wild elephant patrols to prevent elephants from entering community gardens, thereby reducing conflict between elephants and humans.

To support the sustainability of the Elephant Flying Squad Team, Gelang Harapan held a fundraiser through the "HOPE for LIFE CHARITY NIGHT for SUMATRAN ELEPHANT" held at Hotel Monopoli Jakarta, on Monday (03/12). The event was filled with auction activities and exhibitions of various artworks and photographs enlivened by artists and photographers who have concern for nature, including Angki Purbandono, Julian Latif, Naufal Abshar, Nasirun, Labadiou Piko, Monica Hapsari, Uji Hahan Handoko, Pierre Guillaume, Cinanti Astria Johansyah from ROH Projects, Taufan Syariftan from Indonesian Wildlife Art, Ted Van Der Hulst, and Salvita de Corte. The enthusiasm of the invited guests was very high to support the conservation of Sumatran Elephants. This can be seen from the number of artworks that were successfully auctioned. The profits from the artwork auction were donated through WWF-Indonesia to support the operations of the Elephant Flying Squad Team.

In a press conference that took place before the fundraising night, Amanda Soekasah said that the presence of the Elephant Flying Squad is very important in preventing conflicts between elephants and humans. "Tesso Nilo is an elephant conservation area because it is considered a relatively good elephant habitat. However, due to large-scale conversion of natural forests, the elephant population is now fragmented into smaller groups that can potentially lead to human-elephant conflict."

Wulan Guritno also added, "People know that elephants enter plantations and cause damage. When in fact, elephants are just following their memory of their home range. The lack of knowledge about elephants is what makes this charismatic animal even called a pest. Through this event, we want more people to get to know elephants, know their important role in the ecosystem, and then care to protect them."

On the occasion, the bracelet of LIFE, multifunctional headwear, and Elephant Flying Squad-themed elephant dolls were also launched. Like other Gelang Harapan products, these products also use leftover materials from the production of designer Ghea Panggabean's clothes. The general public can also contribute to the conservation of Sumatran elephants by purchasing these products.

"The strong relationship between the mahouts and elephants in the Elephant Flying Squad inspired Gelang Harapan to create this multifunctional headwear. Because of that strong relationship, they are able to perform their patrol duties well. We want people, even children, to be able to feel a strong bond with elephants too," explained Janna Soekasah.

The fundraising night was also attended by the mahouts of the Elephant Flying Squad team, represented by Adriyanto and Tengku Asril. They talked about their daily tasks in caring for the Flying Squad elephants and the wild elephant herding they do to reduce conflicts between elephants and humans. Edi Irawan, a WWF-Indonesia staff member who has dedicated himself to reforesting the Tesso Nilo forest, was also present to share stories about the Sumatran Elephant's native habitat and efforts to preserve it.