Bengkel Amal Program Progress Report: Wates & Kulon Progo
by Tunjung Ismoedi
August 2001
Among Bengkel Amal's educational programs and facilities, are those located in the remote area of Wates, in the province of Central Java. SMP (Junior High School) Bopkri is one of those schools. It currently holds a total of 38 students, all of whose education are being funded by donators. Educational tuition and school materials are given free of charge for the students. The students in the school have difficulties in entering the public school system, due to the relatively high costs of education, in comparison to the average income of the community. Presently, governmental aid is limited to sporadic operational funding.
Other facilities such as government sponsored scholarships (Jaringan Pengamanan Sosial) are given on a student percentage basis (10%), in the district of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Accordingly, schools with a small amount of students are only awarded 2 - 3 scholarships. The urgent demand and need for funding has increased, along with the educational needs of the children of this impoverished community.
Educational tuition range from about Rp.10,000/student, depending on their grade level. With the increase of basic commodity prices in Indonesia, tuition has also increased. This increase in educational tuition is determined by consultation between school faculty and field coordinators.
Other factors that affect the students' learning process is transportation. Many of the students reside in neighboring villages. Some travel up to 15 to 30 kilometers, in remote dirt roads, too small for public transport. This dire situation is aggravated with the condition of these roads, some being too worn and flooded in the raining season, that no public transportation can get access.
The common mode of public transport is the minibus or colt. Recently, the public transportation fee has suffered an increase of as much as 100%, along with the rise of fuel price (from Rp. 200 to Rp. 400 one way). This economic condition has greatly impacted the students' transportation expense of Rp. 24,000/month. There are presently 4 students who are being accomodated by one of Bengkel Amal's child sponsorship coordinators.
The basic necessity of clothing is also very much needed by these students. The Starmon shoe company has recently donated factory-rejected shoes to the children. Although the shoe sizes were too big on the children, the need for shoes exceeded that limitation, and all the donated footwear were taken advantage of.
The Malaria Epidemic
All the schools in the Wates area are in malaria-infested zone. According to Mbak Ririn, one of the program coordinators, who is also an employee of the Health Department of Wates, malaria has been an epidemic affecting the area since the Dutch colonization era. It has never been successfully combated because of the nature of the area, being surrounded by dense trees and bushes, an ideal place for the development of the malaria-carrying mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are active during the night (above 6 pm). The lifestyle of the community, who produce aren sugar during the night, make them very susceptible to the malaria disease.
The World Health Organization has designated this area as one of its malaria project areas during the dates of September 3 - November 1, 2001. The services of this project included blood tests for local residents, and anti-malaria sprays and medication as well as treatment. The medication used was produced in India, and was called "kwartem?". This is a new medicine in the form of a pill that has replaced another type of medication that had failed to treat this disease. Unfortunately, this project was only done once, in a very short period of time. Consequently, the epidemic has not been eliminated.
Aren Sugar Producers
For generations, residents of this community have been making aren sugar (a type pf brown sugar) for a living. The process of making this sugar begins with extracting the juice from coconut trees, which is then collected in a piece of hollow bamboo. This juice is then cooked and stirred over fire for hours until it is thick. The resulting product is then chilled and molded using coconut shells. Aren sugar makers can produce an average of 2 - 3 kilograms of sugar daily. After shaping the sugar into blocks, the product is then sold for Rp 2,600 / kilogram. Their daily income amounts to about Rp. 5,200.
Aside for the very minimal income they receive from this profession, aren sugar makers must face great physical risks as they collect juice from coconut trees. Oftentimes they suffer from falls that break their bones, paralyze, and even, tragically, kill them. The economic loss, as well as emotional loss greatly affects the local families.
Many parents encourage their children to help provide for an income instead of pursuing their education. This situation has led school faculty as well as field coordinators to various personal approaches to the families, convincing them of the importance of education for their children's future. There are many cases where the teachers have had to pick up the students at their homes.
SD (Elementary School) Bopkri that had been devastated by a landslide a few years ago, now has a new school building, subsidized by the government (an appropriation of Rp. 190,000,000). After the landslide, schooling was temporarily held at local residents' homes. The new building currently stands on the former grounds of the school. TK Bopkri (Preschool) remains at its former location, beside the new elementary school building. The construction of the new school facility is greatly affected by the efforts of its principal, Mr. Giran Wiranto. Mr. Giran gave his personal attention and care to the students, encouraging them to continue their education and keep the will to progress. SD Bopkri currently has a total of 87 students.
SD Widodo Plampang. This elementary school needs immediate attention and aid, specifically because their main financial aid institution has eliminated their subsidization. The school building needs renovation in about 2 - 3 years. This elementary school has no full-time teaching staff, only an honorary staff (part-time), and are receiving a mere Rp. 60,000/month. This school is located at Kalirejo village, Gunung Kidul, which has the highest rate of malaria fatalities in the Yogyakarta area.
