Tag Archive for: sekolah sungai

Mengembalikan Perspektif Sungai Bersih dan Sehat Anak-Anak

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Written by Amaranila Nariswari, Content Writer Intern at Project Child Indonesia

Sejak tahun 2011 lalu, pemerintah Indonesia menetapkan tanggal 27 Juli sebagai Hari Sungai Nasional dan secara resmi mencantumkannya dalam Pasal 74 Peraturan Pemerintah No. 38 Tahun 2011. Harapannya, dengan adanya Hari Sungai Nasional ini, masyarakat akan lebih peduli terhadap kebersihan lingkungan sungai-sungai yang ada di Indonesia serta mengembalikan fungsi sungai yang sebelumnya tercemar dan tidak dapat dimanfaatkan secara optimal. Berbicara tentang sungai, apa sih, yang ada di benak kalian jika kalian membaca atau mendengar kata ‘sungai’? Kira-kira sama tidak ya, perspektif setiap orang terhadap sungai? Atau coba kalian bandingkan diri kalian pada saat ini dengan pada saat kalian kecil, apakah ada perubahan pandangan mengenai sungai? Coba kalian menggambar sungai, ada komponen apa saja yang tercantum dalam gambar kalian itu?

Ternyata ada lho, penelitian yang melihat bagaimana anak-anak mengkonstruksikan konsep dari sebuah sungai. Penelitian ini dilakukan oleh Margaret Mackintosh dan diterbitkan pada tahun 2010. Mackintosh (2010) dalam artikelnya mencoba mencari tahu seberapa dalam pemahaman anak-anak umur 9-10 tahun di Inggris mengenai sungai melalui analisis terhadap beberapa kegiatan, di antaranya ialah hasil wawancara dan menggambar. Beberapa jawaban menarik yang tercantum dalam artikel Mackintosh tersebut di antaranya menyatakan bahwa sungai merupakan “something that flows and has fish and water” (sesuatu yang mengalir dan memiliki ikan dan air), tidak sedikit pula yang menjawab dengan “wet water running down” (air basah yang mengalir) atau “a long blue thing that’s wet” (sesuatu yang berwarna biru dan panjang yang mengalir). Jawaban-jawaban tersebut cukup menarik, bukan? 

Apabila dianalisis, jawaban-jawaban tersebut cukup menggambarkan bagaimana anak-anak mempersepsikan konsep sungai. Jawaban-jawaban tersebut didominasi oleh aspek air yang mengalir, dibarengi dengan rerumputan di sekitarnya, kemudian ada pula kegiatan-kegiatan yang dapat dilakukan di sungai, seperti berpiknik atau memancing. Pada kenyataannya, kegiatan-kegiatan tersebut tidak mudah dilakukan di sungai-sungai di Indonesia karena air sungai yang tercemar menyulitkan kegiatan memancing, dan banyaknya polusi tanah menyebabkan minimnya rerumputan di sekitar sungai untuk berpiknik. Volume air yang seharusnya cukup untuk mengairi tanah di sekitarnya juga mulai berkurang, padahal, volume air tidak pernah berubah, lho! Baik pada saat ini, seribu tahun yang lalu, atau seribu tahun ke depan. Hanya saja, jumlah air bersih memang berkurang, dan sungai-sungai mulai banyak yang mengering karena wujud dan lokasi air yang berubah. Sedih sekali, kan!

Bagi mereka yang tinggal di bantaran sungai, dampak dari minimnya air sungai yang bersih tentu berpengaruh dalam menurunnya kualitas hidup. Berkaca dari hasil penelitian di atas, sudah seharusnya kita sadar tentang pentingnya menjaga kebersihan lingkungan, mulai dari membuang sampah pada tempatnya hingga menghemat penggunaan air bersih. Melihat kondisi masyarakat sekitar sungai yang rentan, Project Child Indonesia memiliki program yang ditujukan untuk mendukung perkembangan masyarakat di tiga lokasi bantaran sungai berbeda di Yogyakarta: Kricak, Gajahwong, dan Code. Ialah “Sekolah Sungai”, program ini berfokus untuk mengkampanyekan isu-isu kesehatan, lingkungan yang bersih, dan pemberdayaan masyarakat setempat. Apabila kalian ingin tahu lebih lanjut mengenai program Sekolah Sungai dari Project Child Indonesia, kakak-kakak dapat mengakses tautan berikut!

Selama masa pandemi ini, kegiatan Sekolah Sungai disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan masyarakat sekitar. Salah satunya adalah kebutuhan belajar adik-adik di tiga lokasi bantaran sungai di atas. Kebijakan pemerintah yang sebelumnya mengharuskan kegiatan belajar-mengajar menjadi daring bukan merupakan perkara mudah bagi masyarakat sekitar. Sulitnya akses terhadap internet dan tingkat pemahaman yang berbeda bagi tiap-tiap anak tentu juga menjadi ‘PR’ tersendiri bagi orang tua. Melihat peliknya permasalahan ini, Project Child Indonesia hadir dengan program “Online Learning Assistance” (OLA) guna membantu adik-adik beradaptasi dalam kegiatan belajar-mengajar secara daring maupun peralihan ke masa luring pada saat ini. 

Dikembangkan sejak tahun 2020, program OLA ini telah menjangkau lebih dari 40 sekolah di Yogyakarta dan Pacitan dalam memfasilitasi kebutuhan pembelajaran daring bagi kelompok yang paling rentan. Didanai oleh Alumni Grant Scheme (AGS) dan dibantu oleh para relawan, OLA memberikan fasilitas pembelajaran peer-to-peer bagi anak-anak usia 10-12 tahun dalam memahami materi belajar di sekolah, terutama dalam bidang matematika, sains, dan Bahasa Inggris. Project Child Indonesia juga mendukung kebutuhan emosional adik-adik dan para relawan melalui kegiatan “Mindfulness”. Kegiatan ini bertujuan untuk merangsang kecerdasan emosional anak-anak melalui partisipasi aktif dalam kegiatan yang bersifat interaktif antara relawan dengan anak-anak di tiga lokasi di atas. 

Melihat keberhasilan dari dua program tersebut, selanjutnya Project Child Indonesia memiliki cita-cita untuk terus mendukung program pemerintah dalam menciptakan akses pembelajaran daring yang setara bagi seluruh anak di Indonesia. Project Child Indonesia dalam hal ini memprioritaskan mereka yang memiliki akses terhadap sumber daya yang terbatas agar pulih dari situasi pandemi pada saat ini. Tentu saja, program kami tidak akan berhasil tanpa bantuan dari para donor dan relawan yang telah menyisihkan sebagian sumber dayanya untuk bersama bergerak dalam kebaikan! Kakak-kakak dapat mengakses informasi lebih lengkap mengenai program kami dan berdonasi melalui tautan berikut. 

Referensi

Mackintosh, M. (2010). Children’s Understanding of Rivers, International Research in

Geographical and Environmental Education, 14:4, 316-322, DOI: 10.1080/10382040508668365

Online Learning Assistance Project: Helping Children Education in a Pandemic

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Written by Project Child Indonesia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disproportionately affected marginalized communities in Indonesia. After the spread of the virus was officially announced as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Indonesian government conducted a policy about changing the offline learning system in school into distance learning. However, the unequally distributed access to education, forcing the children of the urban poor to encounter hardship in receiving their academic needs. As an example, the marginalized groups in our Sekolah Sungai communities on the banks of Code River, Winongo River, and Gajah Wong River, Yogyakarta, whose general occupations are sellers, laborers, housewives, security guards, freelancers, ride-hailing drivers, and scavengers, it is a struggle for them to facilitate a conducive learning environment for their children. The at-home learning constraints are due to the low either no preparedness of students, teachers, and parents for distance learning, limited internet access, and computer ownership (according to data from Statistics Indonesia 2019, computer ownership in Indonesia at the household level is 20.05% and internet coverage is 66.22%).

Other than parents struggling to afford the gadget facilities and internet data packages purchase, parents are facing issues to provide supervision and guidance to support distance learning. Truth is, not all parents have the privilege to provide such learning assistance, both in terms of time and skills, and this has been proven by testimonials through our research on the field. A testimonial coming from Lani, a 4th-grade elementary school student who lives on the banks of the Gajahwong River, “My mom is busy working and taking care of my little sister, she is barely available to accompany me studying. My dad works all the time too.” Another supporting statement coming from the father of Meisya, a 4th-grade elementary school student in Kampung Jetisharjo, by the Code River, “I cannot teach my child because elementary school materials these days are more difficult, different to mine years ago. I also work all day long, so there is very little time to assist my daughter when studying.” Moreover, teachers from formal schools provide assignments for distance learning, but not necessarily equipped to explain the subject materials to children. With a pupil-teacher ratio of 12.68, parental guidance is necessary.

Reflecting on the presented reality and based on the socio-economic analysis, Project Child Indonesia initiated the Online Learning Assistance project to help ease the challenges of children and parents to comprise education concern on children of the vulnerable communities in three riverbank communities of Yogyakarta City, Indonesia that are hit the most. 

Project Child Indonesia through the Online Learning Assistance provides online and offline tutor sessions by our volunteers to children in our Sekolah Sungai communities to help them do their school tasks and understand the school material better. Project Child Indonesia has collaborated with one of the internet data providers in Indonesia to provide affordable internet data quota to support the online learning activities of the children as well as launched a gadget donation campaign to support the online learning process. The project wants to ensure the well-being of the community especially the children amid the pandemic and the project is a form of adjustment of our main program, Sekolah Sungai, to overcome the COVID-19 struggle and uncertainty.

This year, the Online Learning Assistance project has been completed and conducted a total of 21 online and offline classes in three Sekolah Sungai communities in Code River, Winongo River, and Gajah Wong River. It has helped more than 80 children, 14 volunteers, and 3 (three) interns for three months of September, October, and November 2020. Thank you for the great help and support of our collaborators to make this project a reality. In 2021, we will continue to support the children in the river communities through this project and will be very glad to be able to cooperate with everyone who wants to support our cause.

Everyone Can Do Good

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Written by Graciella Stephanie Ganadhi, Content Writer Intern Project Child Indonesia

Kindness should be a basic trait that everyone possesses. It should be the basis of human’s thought, utterance, and action. Unfortunately, that’s a utopia. In reality, our world is cruel and savage. Sometimes, hatred wins more often than kindness. Worry not though! Our world works sometimes and somehow like folklore too. No matter how hard the evil tries to wreak havoc, goodness always wins. That’s what we, as a society, needs to believe in as we celebrate World Kindness Day.

World Kindness Day is celebrated globally on November 13th every year. With the purpose of highlighting the good deeds in the community, World Kindness Day reminds us to focus on the positive power of kindness that bound us together as a community.

Project Child Indonesia, as an NGO, aims to spread kindness by raising funds for several projects including Sekolah Sungai, especially the newly-found project: Online Learning Assistance. The program itself consists of 50% online classes and 50% offline classes that are held within the boundaries of current health protocol of COVID-19. The program aims to help underprivileged children in Yogyakarta, especially the ones that are already joining Sekolah Sungai. Along with PT. XL Axiata, Tbk., Project Child Indonesia has been able to provide, not only much needed teaching assistance, but also the internet data package for those children to access the online material for the online classes.

As per Project Child Indonesia’s motto: Everyone Can Do Good, World Kindness Day resonates the most with us as an NGO. We believe that kindness can be spread in many forms, from small acts of kindness to a grand act of philanthropy. We, as an organization, were able to help 80 children that are part of the Online Learning Assistance, but that’s just us. If you’re willing you can spread kindness too! Start small, but do it with honesty. If you do it right, kindness can go a long, long, long way!

Online Learning Assistance: Contributing Our Way

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Written by Adjeng Tunjung Pamase, Partnership Intern Project Child Indonesia

Entering the eighth month since the COVID-19 pandemic spread in Indonesia, Distance Learning or Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh (PJJ) activities still face various constraints. Numerous facilities and infrastructure are required to conduct a successful implementation of PJJ. In addition to the supporting equipment such as laptops and smartphones as well as internet data packages, supervision and guidance from parents are very essential to help to fill the gap in the limited role of teachers during PJJ activities. Conventional or offline school activities provide time for students to ask questions directly during or after class, PJJ tends to narrow the opportunity to interact with teachers in contrast to offline school. Most of the time, the subject materials are delivered to students let alone in the form of a document file, forcing students to read it and learn independently at home. Hence, the assistance of parents and or other substituting figures of teachers at home thus deemed vital for the success of children’s learning.

Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim, remarked that PJJ activities will run smoothly if parents are present to accommodate learning assistance for their children. Nevertheless, he also does not disregard the fact that not all parents have the same privilege to provide such learning assistance, both in terms of time and skills.

“My mom is busy working and taking care of my little sister, she is barely available to accompany me studying. My dad works all the time too,” said Lani, a 4th-grade elementary school student who lives on the banks of the Gajahwong River.

“I can not teach my child because elementary school materials these days are more difficult, different to mine years ago. I also work all day long, so there is very little time to assist my daughter when studying,” said the father of Meisya, a 4th-grade elementary school student in Kampung Kricak, by the Code River.

In acknowledgment of the presented problems on the field especially for those below the poverty line, the government through Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Muhaimin Iskandar initiated to establish “Gerakan Bangkit Belajar”, a movement that administers stations that assists students in doing PJJ activities, the assistance varies from internet network to volunteers with roles to give learning tutorials. This movement has been running since August 2020 with the priority of 3T areas (tertinggal, terdepan, terluar) or remote areas as the beneficiaries.

The Gerakan Bangkit Belajar then inspired many components of society to do similar things, from helping to provide study assistance, donating supporting equipment/facilities, to raising funds to provide internet data. 

Participation and support from various parties to create a viable PJJ for children in Indonesia makes us at Project Child Indonesia desire to continue running the Online Learning Assistance project. This project comprises learning assistance conducted both offline and online by our volunteers to help ease the challenges of children and parents in the Sekolah Sungai communities in three river banks in Yogyakarta; Code, Gajahwong, and Winongo River during PJJ.

Realized since last September, we have been holding weekly learning assistance, conducted the donation of gadgets, and distributed internet data packages in collaboration with one of the internet data providers in Indonesia.

Nonetheless, we believe that there is still a lot to be improved from this Learning Assistance project to deliver a greater impact. One of our concerns is to provide training to volunteers on teaching methods (pedagogy), project management, and child psychology. We conclude this from the results of the program evaluation after one month.

“I still feel the need to learn how to approach children to be interested in learning and encourage them to be more courageous in expressing their opinions.” – Nani, a volunteer for the Learning Assistance program in Sungai Gajahwong.

Here, we need your help in optimizing the project to give a greater impact on the children of Sekolah Sungai. You can contribute by donating at kitabisa.com/campaign/bantuanbelajarss or purchasing Project Child Indonesia merchandise at bit.ly/merchandisePCI.

Together, we can bring out the best of distance learning activities for all Indonesian children. Like what has always been our belief that everyone can do good, you can too.

Pasar Mandiri: The Volunteer’s Hard Work

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Written by Dyah Prajnandhari, Content Writer Intern Project Child Indonesia

Behind every successful event, there are always hard working people. Although they are assigned with different parts, all of them become the backbone of the events. The real example is Pasar Mandiri, a project which Sekolah Sungai held on 7-8th of March. Pasar Mandiri is a project that introduces the idea of the importance of thrift shopping which also reduces textile waste to the children. Held in respectively 3 places which are at Sungai Code, Winongo and Gajahwong, this event is successful because of the volunteers and coordinators’ efforts. For the volunteers, it must be a fun journey.

Enrico Ardhana Putra or Rico from Sekolah Sungai Winongo expressed that they had several steps to prepare the event. “For the first step, we have to gather the unused clothes from people.” Following their publication through Project Child social media, they gathered a quite amount of clothes. The same thing is also expressed by Melisa Tanady, a volunteer from Sekolah Sungai Code. “We (the committee for Pasar Mandiri Code) sorted the clothes a week before the event.” The volunteers didn’t work alone. The children also helped them to run this event through roleplaying. They became cashiers, securities, sellers, which is also an exercise for them to learn about the concept of responsibility. Ideas are also exchanged between the volunteers and the children, therefore it is not only mainly from the volunteers’ opinions.

While this event is considered success, the obstacles are still there. A volunteer from Sekolah Sungai Gajahwong, Wani Utami, or Tami, revealed, “It was raining at the morning of the event (03/08).” She added that the volunteers also had difficulty in carrying back the unsold clothes. The same thing happened in Winongo as it was heavily raining in the morning, forcing them to delay their departure to Winongo. “We are supposed to go at 6 AM, but it got delayed to 8.” said Rico. This annual event also benefits both the children and the volunteers. Melisa said she got the priceless experience and the importance of being grateful. “I think personally the children would get the exposure and knowledge on how selling things to customer. They wouldn’t get this kind of education in the school.”

Lastly, all of them wished that the next Pasar Mandiri would also be successful. Tami said that she hoped for more attention in the preparation of the event. Rico said he would expect nicer decoration next year, and Melisa wished that it will always be a useful event for everyone. Despite all the difficulties they faced, we always try to improve ourselves to do good things.

#CeritaVolunteer : Nadhia, Volunteer Sekolah Sungai Batch #29

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Oleh : Nadhia Dheany, Volunteer Sekolah Sungai Batch #29

Halo! Aku Nadhia Dheany, aku merupakan salah volunteer #Batch29 di Project Child Indonesia. Aku mengambil Program Sekolah Sungai yang bertepatan di Sungai Gajahwong Yogyakarta. Yang membuat aku tertarik untuk mengikuti kegiatan volunteer di Sekolah Sungai karena selain untuk mengisi waktu aku juga ingin mencari kegiatan baru dan mendapatkan pengalaman baru.

Program volunteer #Batch29 ini dimulai dari sekitaran bulan Juli 2019 dimana waktu itu aku dan teman teman lain yang akan menjadi volunteer diberikan training terlebih dahulu. Dan pada training ini aku mendapatkan pelajaran baru, yaitu tentang pedagogi untuk pertama kalinya. Dari training ini pula aku tau kalau kedepannya aku akan dihadapkan dengan hal – hal yang baru yang belum pernah aku dapatkan sebelumnya. Dan pada hari itu juga itu adalah kali pertama aku bertemu teman – teman yang sangat ramah, baik dan juga aktif sehingga dari sinilah terlihat juga kalau orang-orangnya bisa diajak untuk bekerjasama dengan baik. 

Untuk kegiatan dari sekolah sungai pun juga tidak terlalu menyita waktu, untuk sekolah sungai di Gajahwong diadakan setiap hari selasa dari jam 15.00 – 17.00 WIB . Hal yang paling seru itu ketika jemput adik – adik kerumah mereka dan melihat adik adik yang semangat untuk bermain dan juga belajar bersama dengan para kaka – kaka volunteer. 

Dan untuk kegiatan setiap minggunya sebagai volunteer juga tidak hanya pergi ke sekolah sungai setiap hari selasa aja tapi juga di Project Child Indonesia juga ada kegiatan study club di setiap minggunya dimana setiap minggunya topiknya juga berbeda – beda dan itu yang bikin aku tambah senang menjadi volunteer di Project Child, karna dari study club ini aku juga mendapatkan ilmu – ilmu baru setiap minggu nya. Dan disini aku juga merasa menjadi volunteer itu tidak hanya membagi kebaikan dengan orang lain saja tetapi juga memberi kebaikan bagi diri kita sendiri dan membuat aku menjadi manusia yang lebih berkembang dari sebelumnya.

Warum ein Bewusstsein für Mundhygiene besonders für Kinder wichtig ist

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Der Gesundheitszustand der Zähne und des Mundes ist ein wichtiger Indikator für die Gesundheit des menschlichen Körpers. Unsere Zähne sind von essentieller Bedeutung für eine unbeschwerte Nahrungsaufnahme. Obwohl sich viele Menschen in Indonesien der wichtigen Rolle der Zähne bewusst sind, ist das Bewusstsein für die Notwendigkeit einer gewissenhaften Mund- und Zahnpflege gering. Zahnerkrankungen wie zum Beispiel Karies oder Abszesse (geschwollenes Zahnfleisch) sind die Folge. Aktuellen Studien zufolge können Zahnfleischinfektionen im schlimmsten Fall zu Herzerkrankungen führen.

Nach den Ergebnissen der Gesundheitsforschung 2018 ist Indonesien mit 57,6% der Gesamtbevölkerung eines der Länder mit der höchsten Häufigkeit von Zahn- und Mundgesundheitsproblemen. Besonders schlimm ist dabei, dass 93% der an Karies erkrankten Menschen in Indonesien Kinder sind. Für die Kinder kann dies unter Umständen auch Folgen in der Zukunft haben, sofern beispielsweise ihr Selbstbewusstsein durch Zahnerkrankungen beeinträchtigt wird. Aus diesem Grund wurde die Initiative „Frei von Karies 2030“ durch den indonesischen Gesundheitsminister, mit Unterstützung der Vereinigung der indonesischen Zahnärzte (PDGI), gegründet. Im Zuge der Initiative werden die Kinder in den Schulen für die Bedeutung der Mundgesundheit sensibilisiert. Eine Versiegelung der Zähne mit Fluorid soll darüber hinaus das Kariesrisiko verringern.

„Der Prozentsatz der Kinder in Indonesien, die im Jahr 2018 unter Zahnerkrankungen litten betrug 64%. Davon hatten 41% mit erheblichen bis starken Schmerzen zu kämpfen. Dieses Problem kann dabei einen großen Einfluss auf die schulischen Aktivitäten der Kinder nehmen.“

Dr. Ratu Mirah, Abteilungsleiter für Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden in der Unilever Indonesia Foundation

Im Vergleich zu Kindern, die gesunde Zähne besitzen, leiden Kinder mit Mundgesundheitsproblemen tendenziell unter mangelndem Selbstbewusstsein, haben Schwierigkeiten Kontakte zu knüpfen und vermeiden es, im schlimmsten Fall, zu lächeln oder gar zu lachen.

Zahn- und Munderkrankungen von Kindern sind zu einer ernsthaften Herausforderung geworden, die es nicht zu unterschätzen gilt. Ist die Erkrankung mit Schmerzen verbunden, so verringert dies oftmals nicht nur die schulische Produktivität der Kinder, sondern führt auch zu Appetitlosigkeit, die sich negativ auf das Wachstum der Kinder auswirken kann. Vorbeugende Maßnahmen der Eltern, z.B. der regelmäßige Kontrollbesuch bei einem Zahnarzt sind eher die Ausnahme. Daher ist es besonders wichtig, den Kindern die Bedeutung von Mundhygiene zu erklären. Um das Bewusstsein der Menschen in Indonesien in Bezug auf die Zahngesundheit zu verbessern ist neben den Initiativen der kommunalen Gesundheitszentren und UKS (Usaha Kesehatan Sekolah) auch ein Engagement lokaler Regierungen und die Einbeziehung von NGOs, die auch in abgelegenen Orten aktiv sind, notwendig.

Dies hat Project Child dazu veranlasst, Maßnahmen zu ergreifen um die „Frei von Karies 2030“ Initiative des indonesischen Gesundheitsministeriums zu unterstützen. Im August 2019 wurden daher im Rahmen der Flussschule des Sungai Gajah Wong kostenlose zahnärztliche Untersuchungen durchgeführt. Darüber hinaus hatten die am Fluss wohnenden Eltern und ihre Kinder die Möglichkeit, sich von den Zahnärzten der Opal Zahnklinik beraten zu lassen. Während der zahnärztlichen Untersuchungen wurden bei ca. 20 Eltern und Kindern Zahnerkrankungen wie beispielsweise Karies festgestellt. Somit konnte Project Child einen wichtigen Beitrag zu einem erhöhten Bewusstsein für die Notwendigkeit der Mundhygiene leisten. In Zukunft werden die Eltern darauf achten, dass ihre Kinder nicht nur regelmäßig Zähne putzen, sondern darüber hinaus auch den Konsum von zuckerhaltigen Getränken und Süßigkeiten reduzieren. Mögliche Zahnerkrankungen der Kinder und damit verbundene Nachteile in ihrer Entwicklung können somit bereits im Vorfeld verhindert werden.

Quellen:

Relationships of Reciprocity: How a Two-Day Community-Based Tourism Program Brings a Trifold Benefit to Those Involved

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Written by: Will Griffiths

The annual Haarlemmermeer Community-Based Tourism program continued this year when a group of students from Haarlemmermeer school in the Netherlands engaged in activities and experiences of cultural learning and exchange in Kampung Code, Yogyakarta. The students are the third Haarlemmermeer group to visit Code for this experience of cross-cultural learning, each year facilitated by Project Child Indonesia (PCI) to promote education, community self-empowerment, and cross-cultural learning and relationships. Code community members conducted workshops for the Haarlemmermeer students over the two days whilst the students also received a deeper insight into one of PCI’s primary initiatives; it’s Drinking Water Program (DWP). Students engaged in an information session regarding the context and importance of PCI’s DWP, and visited a school to see the Drinking Water infrastructure in action. The Community-Based Tourism program is an initiative that PCI believes in and one that results in a trifold benefit.

PCI is underpinned by the belief that everyone “can just do good.” However behind that idea is the experience and learning that promotes the empowerment of that idea. For the students of Haarlemmermeer, this Community-Based Tourism program represents such experience and learning. Under the heat of the Indonesian sun, Code community members conducted workshops for the students in Batik making, traditional dance, traditional cooking, and contemporary urban farming.

  • Batik Celup
  • Visiting School

In a fun and engaging atmosphere of cross-cultural learning, the Haarlemmermeer students not only developed unique and useful skills, but by engaging in such a learning environment broadened their cultural outlook, and continued developing their sense of cultural relativity. Similarly, the school visit and participation in putting together one of PCI’s water filters, coupled with the DWP information session run by PCI, had an important effect. By witnessing the impact of the support Haarlemmermeer provides to PCI’s DWP, it converted the impact of their support to the DWP from an abstract idea, to a concrete reality. This in turn promotes the maintenance and development of the relationship between Haarlemmermeer and PCI, and involves the students in that relationship in a way only achieved through personal participation.

For Code, this Community-Based Tourism program represents and develops their self-empowerment and self-development into a community that facilitates their own sustainable tourism. Whilst PCI facilitated the workshops, it was the community of Code that developed and ran these workshops. Not only is this empowering for the community and its members, demonstrating to the students the beauty of art and dance, local flavours, and the ingenuity of urban farming techniques, but further promotes the relationship between the community and the school of Haarlemmermeer. The students of Haarlemmermeer and Code’s community members will forever have those experiences shared together, and the stories taken home by the students of Haarlemmermeer will be underpinned by themes of cultural learning and understanding, promoting to those around them the idea that the world exists beyond their immediate context.

Local games

For PCI, the benefit received through this program only exists through the benefit received by others. Without support, PCI is just an idea. This program, by providing to Haarlemmermeer students the context of PCI’s DWP and community engagement efforts, and demonstrating the necessity of that program, promotes the continued relationship between Haarlemmermeer and PCI and continued support of PCI’s programs. PCI is beyond grateful to the Haarlemmermeer community who, at event’s end, presented PCI with a donation of €4000, fundraised by the students themselves. A true testament to the relationship, and a big step in furthering student access to clean drinking water in Indonesia.

The two-day Community-Based Tourism program took place in a fun and energetic atmosphere, but had serious, practical motives and outcomes. The ultimate message to the students of Haarlemmermeer was that through the process of continued self-learning, you can be the change you want to see in the world, and that individual acts have global outcomes. The experiences engaged in, the relationships formed, and the learning received hoped to inspire the students of Haarlemmermeer, and upon their return to the Netherlands, it is hoped that they can inspire those around them. It is true, and PCI firmly believes, that if we open our eyes to the world, everyone can just do good.

The Crisis of Clean Water in the Riverbank Residents

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by: Nadya Haira
Teaching Learning Assessor intern (Sekolah Sungai)

The rise of population growth has prompted higher water use. The necessity for good quality water means not just any readily available water but that which can be used to fulfill daily needs, such as drinking, bathing, washing clothes, washing dishes, and gardening. Moreover, the needs of water has also increased.

The main sources of river water pollution/contamination in Indonesia come from domestic or household waste, generally in the form of feces, dish and clothing detergents, animal excrements, and fertilizers from plantations and farms. There are also traces in the water supply of medical drug contamination from sources such as birth control pills to pesticides and oil. Filth and urine waste contamination have played a role in increasing the levels of E. coli bacteria within the water. In big cities such as Jakarta and Yogyakarta, the levels of E. coli are outside the normal range not only in the river but also in the underground well water in the areas where residents live. Contaminated water such as those seen in Indonesia can cause different sorts of diseases, such as: Diarrhea, Hepatitis A, Lead poisoning, Malaria, and Polio.

According to WHO, in every year there are 1.7 million kids who die from diarrhea brought by an unhealthy environment, mainly because of contaminated water. In Indonesia, clean water is a provision ensured in Article 33 UUD 1945 passage (3) which peruses “Earth and water and the natural resources contained therein are controlled by the state and are utilized for the greatest prosperity of the general population”.

“Bumi dan udara dan sumber daya alam yang terkandung di dalam didukung oleh negara dan digunakan untuk kemakmuran terbesar rakyat”.

More recently, the policy was emphasized in Law No. 23 of  2014 concerning Regional Government, reaffirming that fulfillment of clean water for the community is one of the responsibility and obligations of the administration and local government as part of the public services.

The National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) noticed an expansion in households which have access to decent drinking water sources in Indonesia. In 2012 just 65.05 percent of households units had access to decent drinking water sources. In 2014, 68.11 percent of households had such access. This figure rose again in 2017 to 72.04 percent. The low access to clean water was because of problems in the implementation of drinking water and sanitation. On a global scale the problems are:

(a) The scale of the need – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to Half the World’s Population.

The slight scale of the issue is a test in itself. It will be no little accomplishment for half the world’s population to get sustained access to safe water, essential sanitation and great good hygiene practices (and to do as such in 15 years). In fact, critical institutions like health care facilities and schools lack water and sanitation. A study in 54 low- and middle-income countries found that 38% of health care facilities lack access to an improved water source, 19% lack sanitation and 35% do not have water and soap for handwashing (World Health Organization & United Nations’ Children’s Fund, 2015). The scale of the need will increase, especially as populations grow, available freshwater is utilized and polluted at increasing rates and the climate changes.

(b) Maintaining Long-Term Water, Sanitation and Cleaning Services

The focus over the past few decades has been on water and sanitation infrastructure. This approach requires a highly educated, skilled workforce and often does not reach the most marginalized communities. All the while the poorest communities are most lacking in quality water and sanitation. Nearly all the poorest 25% of the world lacks tap water and coverage inequalities between rich and poor are even greater for sanitation than water (Joint Monitoring Program of UNICEF and WHO, 2014). The ongoing operation and maintenance of this infrastructure is very challenging. For example, 30% of water pumps in Africa do not work. The failure of community water and sanitation systems is often a failure of operation and maintenance, not because of failure of basic technology. Moreover, public awareness to conduct clean and healthy lifestyles is also still low. They do not care about the sources of water itself and just use it.

Furthermore, according to the United Nations, more than one billion people do not have access to clean water, three billion people do not have adequate sanitation services, and the death rate from infectious diseases through less clean water reaches three million deaths per year. In addition to people who live in areas with poor water availability, poor water quality causes those who live near water bodies to also have difficulty in accessing clean water and good sanitation. River water pollution, such as from industry, agriculture, and domestic activities, burdens the river so that it is no longer able to provide people living in the vicinity with good quality water. Residents of the riverbank are currently forced to use dirty water for daily activities.

This phenomenon can be seen in Jogja. There are three major rivers as the heart of the city including Gajah Wong River, Winongo River and Code River. One of the rivers that deserves the spotlight is the Gajah Wong river. Behind the beauty and splendor of the city of Yogyakarta, it turns out there is still one urgent matter that is still neglected and lacks attention: the Gajah Wong River.

Garbage is still scattered here and there. The mountain of garbage have become a common sight for people around the river. Gajah Wong River has experienced pollution due to the disposal of organic and inorganic waste from the surrounding environment. Most of the garbage around the Gajah Wong river is the waste of plastic food wrap. In addition to the mountainous waste around the Gajah Wong river, the color of river water has changed to black and moldy due to pollutants originating from deposits of organic waste.

Gajah Wong river is located in the middle of the city and also near the Sunan Kalijaga UIN, a fact which has led to the construction of many boarding houses near the river. The accumulation of garbage is due to the lack of control of the people (including UIN students). They use the river bank as the location closest to dispose of their garbage every day. Even though around Gajah Wong river, it is difficult to find land or infiltration wells during the rainy season.

This greatly affects the people who live in the villages around the riverbanks. One of their main water sources is from the Gajah Wong river. When the river is polluted, they will find it difficult to find the availability of other clean water to use in their daily needs such as bathing, washing dishes and clothes. As a result, they will forcefully use the Gajah Wong river water.

Moreover, since 2013, there is no longer a river that meets quality standards or is in good condition (not contaminated with waste or any impurities). The number of rivers with fulfilling status to light pollutants is also zero per 2014. Meanwhile, the moderate-polluted status of the river per 2015 is zero. Similarly, the number of heavily polluted rivers has a smaller number. That is, rivers that meet quality standards or in good conditions are increasingly difficult to find. Not surprisingly, households increasingly rely on bottled water as a source of decent drinking water, along with the deteriorating quality of rivers in Indonesia. This problem regarding water needs serious handling, if Indonesia does not want to experience a water crisis in 2025. Water crises can also lead to conflict.

Therefore, as almost all human activities require water, the need is absolute. Water is also the right of life for every person protected by laws that must be fulfilled. In addition, deteriorating water quality will increase the costs that must be incurred in obtaining clean water sources and are suitable for consumption. Not only the government, the community also has to maintain clean water sources so they are not contaminated.

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Socialization about stunting in Kricak

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On March 14th 2019, Project Child Indonesia held “Sosialisasi & Pemeriksaan Tumbuh Kembang Anak” at Sekolah Sungai Kricak. The event started at 08.30 until 11.30 WIB and 43 mothers with their children came at this event. It is one of our events which planned to be held in Kricak and the community was so enthusiastic to participate in “Sosialisasi & Pemeriksaan Tumbuh Kembang Anak”. During this event, we also collaborate with one of community groups in kricak “Pembinaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga” or known as “PKK”.

This event has two agendas, firstly, socialization about stunting and secondly, screening on the children’s health and growth. Both agenda assisted by dr. Alya and dr. Indira, graduated medical students from Gadjah Mada University.

In the first session, the facilitators were talked about the extensive definition of stunting, the effect of stunting on children’s life and also the steps to prevent stunting. Based on dr. Alya presentation, stunting has serious impacts on children because of the lack of nutrition supply. It will deter the developments of children cognitively and physically. For instance, cognitive impacts like poor cognition and physical impacts like impaired growth which caused children to be underdeveloped. Thus, Indonesian government’s nowadays has a big mission to reduce the number of stunting to help the children grow well according to the standard growth.

In the second session, dr. Alya and dr. Indira in collaboration with PKK leaders held a health screening to the children. This health screening, also include the examination of children’s weight and height. After measurement, the doctor gave personal analysis and consultation to each mother with their children.

There are two important points of outcomes from the “Sosialisasi & Pemeriksaan Tumbuh Kembang Anak” event. Firstly, mothers got insights to improve their awareness about children health especially stunting. Secondly, mothers can understand and control their children nutritions supply based on the doctor personal suggestion.