Indonesia - Bekasi: Concern for Underprivileged Children's Education

Global Citizen Corps Indonesia leaders: Chyntia, Febrina, Meriny, and Siti have begun an initiative to create KAPELA (Kawan Peduli Belajar), which is a social action group for education under the auspices of GCC Indonesia. KAPELA was founded at Al-Falah School Bantar Gebang, Bekasi –a location in close proximity to a waste disposal sites. Most of the students are underprivileged children, working as scavengers. This action focuses on developing media and alternative teaching methods (by modeling) and teacher empowerment. It seeks to formulate a fun learning method in the hope of creating better egagement with students. Steming from the idea that quality education belongs to all, the action aims to raise the awareness on the importance of education for the underprivileged children. Also it seeks to improve the quality of volunteers that teaches in this school.

Al-Falah School is a school of equality, founded independently by Mrs Sari. With her passion for society empowerment, she founded the school using her own expenses.  This bamboo-walled school provides some educational programs, including early childhood education (early childhood), Package A (equivalent to elementary school), Package B (Equivalent to Junior High) and Package C (Equivalent to high school) all progmras are specifically targeted for children who dropped out of school and or are working as scavengers. Al-Falah School also open classes for reading, writing, arithmetic, also class for reading and writing Quran. It is free of charge, however the students are required to deposit Rp 3,000, - per month for the cost of national tests later on.

The first action of KAPELA was held on Saturday, November 26, 2011. Chyntia, Febrina, and Wulan taught the children using songs, games, and fairy tales as a medium to teach in the reading class. The Kapela teachers invited students to sing the ABC song and play games. Then the teachers wrote the order of the alphabet, but some alphabets were eliminated, and the students were asked to fill in the missing alphabet. The teachers mentioned a few words, and the students should be able to write these words on the whiteboard one by one. Pupils were very enthusiastic and happy to follow the lessons.

Aside of teaching the children, assisted by Rusli, GCC Indonesia Program Officer, KAPELA shared with teachers in this school about how to motivate students and parents to remain concerned with education. KAPELA also shared knowledge and experience of teaching by introducing some alternative methods of teaching such as learning through songs, stories, games, flash cards, etc, the aforementioned methods are applicable to improve the quality of learning. KAPELA team members will continue this action at the same place and will teach by utilizing creative media (non-tech) in January 2012.