Taming Julu, West Sumatera
Village: Taming Julu, West Sumatera (6 hours from Padang town)
In a remote village 6 hours from Padang town, children were asked to work instead of going to school. Children’s world is limited only to 3 types of occupation.
The team from Books for Hope conducted its first Weekend Enrichment Workshop at this village, welcomed by a breathtaking landscape – highlands, blue skies and fresh air. Around 80 children were eagerly waiting for us in their ‘wooden hut’ makeshift school. The remaining space in the small hut was filled with equally as excited mothers. The Village Head, School Headmaster, a local Parliamentary member, an English teacher and 3 other teachers were there too. We were given a warm and grand welcome with the supply of a microphone and a box speaker, running on a generator set.
Speeches were made, and the book presentation symbolic gesture was done. The fun part begins! We asked the group of children what do they want to be when they grow up. Out of 100 children, there were only 3 answers! Teacher, doctor and farmer!
In their minds, those were the only 3 occupations they knew. Their parents were mostly farmers, they have 4 teachers, and a doctor from the city visits them once a year for medical check-up. They had no idea that they could be a scientist, an astronaut, a lawyer, or even a seamstress!
Our team spent 1 hour using pop-up charts, colors and story books to introduce them to a world beyond their current predisposition. We also taught them about the physical world – i.e. where Indonesia is, where the US, China and Europe are, etc. The younger kids joined a coloring competition of pictures of occupations and the older ones wrote an essay of ‘Cita-cita Saya’ (My Ambition) each.
Prizes were given to outstanding work! Of course everyone else left with a pencil, a book and a Books for Hope bag!
We were glad that in that one workshop, we have opened up 100 childrens’ minds to more possibilities. Hopefully, to get to their now new ambitions, they will study and read the 500 books that are now theirs!
