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| "Successful School Construction with Indonesian Villagers" |
 Photography:M.Yokota |
In August 2002,
staff members of OISCA Alumni Association Training Center in Indonesia (Cimenteng,
Sukabumi), were invited to teach about the environment to students of Cimanggu
IV Primary School, near the Training Center. It has been a CFP participating
school. The headmaster of the school then requested the staff of OISCA Cimenteng
Center for support in constructing a school building to be built in addition
to existing old ones. School building construction is not a project that
OISCA can normally afford to take up, but at that time, Y.E.S. 30 (a non-governmental
organization based in Japan), made a timely offer to provide financial support
for a school building construction project. A project team was formed with the leader and some staff members of the Cimenteng Center, selected villagers, the headmaster and representatives of the PTA to discuss the formation of a School Construction Committee in the village. |
| They also discussed possible
contributions by the community, school, and PTA, including how community
members could take part in the construction work on a voluntary basis. The
Center staff explained how important it was for the community to be involved,
and for all the people of the community to have a sense of ownership and
contribute with that spirit. They asked the community members to make tangible
contributions, take part in the actual work, and provide building materials
that were available in the village to support the Project. As they listened to the requests, the audience gradually became taciturn and downcast. Mr. Yoshinaga, Chief Organizer, who also represented the goodwill of the donor organization, thought that he could not compromise at that moment, and appealed to the villagers the importance of displaying the spirit of Gotong-royong, or a traditional way of mutual help. Immediately some fathers of school children accepted the proposal. Actually, Mr. Yoshinaga and his group were expecting these fathers to join in the actual construction work as a core group. Those fathers were aware that if they had lost this chance for renovating the school, another chance would not come to the village in the near future. Two months later, construction began on the school building with the Center staff and carpenters selected from among those in the village. Many volunteers took part in the work and 20 - 30 community people even joined in the work on Saturdays and Sundays. It is notable that during the Ramadan fasting period from November 6 - December 7, an average of 8 - 9 community members usually worked to help the carpenters. |
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| Unemployed youth were also mobilized as volunteers. Their participation greatly enhanced the awareness of the villagers.On 10 February 2003, completion of the construction was celebrated with the presence of leaders from the donor, Y.E.S. 30, Director General of the Department of Education and Culture, Sukabumi Province, representatives of the Department of Rural Development of the Province, and all villagers. Mr. Yoshinaga looked back on the past seven months of the Project. The fact that the Center staff made special efforts and spent considerable time in consensus-making resulted in participation by the community as a whole, and brought about the ultimate success of the Project. |  |
|
January 2003: |
Rabaul Center Establishes a System
for Recycling Life and Livelihood |
| Copyright 2003 OISCA-International All rights reserved.@ webmaster@oisca.org |