When
the EBPP started in 1998 after request by the village for help, basic
facilities were not available in this part of the island. No road,
electricity, water supply, and not even phone signal. As for the natural
source, they don’t have river or paddy field. Rain water is the only
major source of water they can rely on. There is a dirt road that cut
across the village, but that is actually a valley between Mount Agung
and Mount Abang. This access comprised sandy and rocky slopes that get
flash flood when it rains or when rain occurs only at the Mount Agung
slope. If that happens, people of Ban could not get out of their hamlets
until the water receded.
Deeper
on the dirt road to the other end side of the village, there is
Jatituhu, one of the hamlets in Ban village. More than 100 families live
here in a housing compound with only approximately 10 to 15 houses
close to each other in a central area. The houses are small and made
from bamboo bedeg. Children ran around with no clothes and bare food.
It
is hard to believe that it was already 18 years ago. But not much
change in the lives of the Jatituhu people at the present day, except
now they have electricity, better road, water reservoir, toilets, more
active Posyandu and education for their children. The last four are the
EBPP programmes with Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) elimination as our
first programme in 2001 as the goitre rate reached 84.5%.
In
Jatituhu, EBPP made their contribution to build up basic facilities
such as water reservoir, health facilities and toilets. In 2005, they
started the children education programme in Jatituhu after starting the
others 4 education programmes in the others 4 hamlets in Ban villages.
The closest elementary school for Jatituhu is located in Temakung hamlet
within 5 kilometres with access footpath. At that time most of the
children of school age do not attend school. The distance to the junior
high school around 15 kilometres.
Since
the launch of their first hamlet school in Bunga on 1999, EBPP now
manages 6 remote schools in the hamlets of Bunga (1999), Cegi (2000),
Pengalusan (2000), Manikaji (2001), Jatituhu (2005) and Darmaji (2007).
They manage programme for Elementary, Junior High and Senior High School
level in these 6 hamlets of Village Ban. Up to this day, EBPP has been
educated more than 1,000 children in their 6 schools.
These
children are not only studying the national mandatory subjects in the
class, but they are also integrated life skills they need to empower
them for a better future. The main subjects of the study in the
elementary level are including health, hygiene, sanitation, art, music
and Balinese dance. For junior and senior high school students, they are
also learning nutrition, reproductive health, computer & financial
literacy, job applications & life skills. Bamboo handicraft skill is
a mandatory study in EBPP programme. With their latest programme, EPBB
aims to empower the students to create own bamboo business so they don’t
have to leave their village to find a job. Their future is in their own
village.
At
the moment, EBPP is struggling with the limited fund to continue these
education programmes. They need funding to continue the primary and
secondary school education in these remote hamlets. Having a proper
level of education will them access to a better future. “Help us to help them help themselves.”
Courtesy of East Bali Poverty Project
This article is also published at NOW! Bali Magazine
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