NTA 2023 Donor's Trip To Flores |
|
The West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook Rotary club (WPHC) has been awarded a US$50,000 WASH (Water & Sanitation) Project Global Grant, by The Rotary Foundation, to build 70 water tanks and 70 toilets in Ian Tena village in Flores, Indonesia. The main purpose of this year's donor's trip (23 to 27 October) in Flores was kick start the the WASH project with NTA and NTAI, our partners in the project. NTAI is the Indonesian arm of NTA (Nusa Tenggera Association), which is based in Canberra. More information on NTA can be found HERE
NTA have been operating in West Timor & Flores for more than 30 years and now provide three separate programs: income generation and food security; water and sanitation; and education.
Today, a team of 26 paid staff operate in West Timor and Flores, including fourteen staff from NTA Indonesia and twelve staff from partner NGOs working full-time on NTA activities. There are two Australian paid staff, as well some forty Indonesian and eighty Australian volunteers. The programs are organised through family farming cooperatives or kelompok, each made up of ten to fifteen families, as well as through local schools and kindergartens. All three programs rely on donations of funding, time and materials from volunteers and sponsors. In turn, NTA is able to provide target communities with small cash grants, training and technical advice to achieve their project goals.
NTA have been operating in West Timor & Flores for more than 30 years and now provide three separate programs: income generation and food security; water and sanitation; and education.
Today, a team of 26 paid staff operate in West Timor and Flores, including fourteen staff from NTA Indonesia and twelve staff from partner NGOs working full-time on NTA activities. There are two Australian paid staff, as well some forty Indonesian and eighty Australian volunteers. The programs are organised through family farming cooperatives or kelompok, each made up of ten to fifteen families, as well as through local schools and kindergartens. All three programs rely on donations of funding, time and materials from volunteers and sponsors. In turn, NTA is able to provide target communities with small cash grants, training and technical advice to achieve their project goals.
Together with our partners, NTA and NTAI, our Rotary Club is directly assisting the home owners in the village of Ian Tena, 15 km north east of Maumere on the island of Flores to construct the 70 water tanks and 70 toilets.
Two members of the West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook Rotary Club (International Committee members) on this year's NTA Donor's trip, Janelle Craig and Andrew Little, arrived in Bali on Friday 20th October. On Saturday 21st we met with a number of members from the Bali Seminyak Rotary club (BS) for the kick-off meeting for the WASH Project . The BS team is led by Anita Lococo and they are assisting us as the Host Club for the WASH Project. Also present was Phil Domaschenz from NTA. We are pleased to have Bali Seminyak's assistance in the project.
Two members of the West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook Rotary Club (International Committee members) on this year's NTA Donor's trip, Janelle Craig and Andrew Little, arrived in Bali on Friday 20th October. On Saturday 21st we met with a number of members from the Bali Seminyak Rotary club (BS) for the kick-off meeting for the WASH Project . The BS team is led by Anita Lococo and they are assisting us as the Host Club for the WASH Project. Also present was Phil Domaschenz from NTA. We are pleased to have Bali Seminyak's assistance in the project.
FL Anita Lococo (BS), FR Janelle Craig (WPHC), BL Andrew Little (WPHC), BR Phil Domaschenz NTA
Sunday 22 & Monday 23 October
On Sunday 22nd October our Rotary team travelled from Bali to Maumere on Flores.
In the evening we met with the other participants of the donor tour and key members of NTA Indonesia, sharing a meal and discussing the agenda for the week ahead. We also met, for the first time, two recently appointed NTA co-ordinators, Laura Kola & Simon Field.
In the evening we met with the other participants of the donor tour and key members of NTA Indonesia, sharing a meal and discussing the agenda for the week ahead. We also met, for the first time, two recently appointed NTA co-ordinators, Laura Kola & Simon Field.
On Monday 23rd we visited Ian Tena village (consists of 3 sub villages), which is situated in the steep mountainous region outside Maumere. There we we greeted by around 200 villagers, who will be participating in the WASH Project. We met with the Ian Tena Village Head, Village Development Agency (BPD) and Beneficiary Group Representatives.
The villagers showed us a number of completed water tanks & tanks in construction from a previous donation program, which Rotary is a contributor to.
The villagers showed us a number of completed water tanks & tanks in construction from a previous donation program, which Rotary is a contributor to.
Another area that NTA supports is village Ikat weaving groups. We visited a couple of weaving groups in Munerana Village. Villagers sell their weaving products (mainly saris??) to make extra money to help with living expenses during the dry season when farming activities cease. This weaving is done on basic looms & taking up to a month to complete one sari.
For more information on Ikat weaving click HERE.
For more information on Ikat weaving click HERE.
Tuesday 24 October 2023
In the morning we visited SDN & SMPN Moro (primary & junior high) School which was a recipient of a TIB unit in November 2022 as part of the club’s commitment to the Teacher in a Box (TIB) program.
Teachers told us that they greatly appreciate and value access to learning resources and electronic textbooks used in the Indonesian school curriculum. If you’d like to find out more about this life changing initiative with the TIB program, please click HERE.
Also, if you have any laptops (<5 years old - I5 or I7 CPUs) that you would like to donate for the TIB program, please contact us.
Another way our club is creating hope in the world !
Teachers told us that they greatly appreciate and value access to learning resources and electronic textbooks used in the Indonesian school curriculum. If you’d like to find out more about this life changing initiative with the TIB program, please click HERE.
Also, if you have any laptops (<5 years old - I5 or I7 CPUs) that you would like to donate for the TIB program, please contact us.
Another way our club is creating hope in the world !
We visited the SDK Kloanglagot School in the afternoon, where a TIB unit, provided by our club, was installed in July 2023. They also indicated that the educational information (including the Indonesian curriculum) is greatly appreciated and would appreciate additional Indonesian educational material, such as story books, and other educational non fiction books be made available on TIB. We are currently contacting a number of organisations that have websites providing some of this educational material on a copyright free basis.
If you know of any this type of educational material that is is available in Bahasa Indonesia on a copyright free basis (Creative Commons 4.0), please contact us (contact details on TIB webpage).
If you know of any this type of educational material that is is available in Bahasa Indonesia on a copyright free basis (Creative Commons 4.0), please contact us (contact details on TIB webpage).
In the late afternoon we were also shown a number of water tanks that Rotary had made donations towards in a couple of villages in the Kokowahor district.
Wednesday 25 October 2023
Yesterday we attended the annual Dance and Music Festival held at the SDK Kloanglagot primary school, which was very well attended by teachers, parents and many other children.
The Rotary Club of North Sydney Sunrise sponsor this event and our Club was there on the ground supporting it. The spectacular costumes, powerful music and intricate dancing serve to evidence the rich and strong culture that lies at the heart of the communities in Maumere.
We were welcomed with traditional dancers & then presented with traditional welcoming scarves?
This was an incredible experience with children from 21 schools each performing their own song and dance acts. These are based on traditional Indonesian folklore, with each school having their own drums & percussion band accompaniment. When this is teamed with the energy, enthusiasm and pride shown by the students, teachers and families, you appreciate why this festival is so very important.
Each of the 21 schools received a trophy, with the contest results being split into three groups, each group having first, second and third prizes. The overall prize winners were outstanding with a highly professional performance.
Thank you to these amazing students and schools for allowing us to share in this special event.
The Rotary Club of North Sydney Sunrise sponsor this event and our Club was there on the ground supporting it. The spectacular costumes, powerful music and intricate dancing serve to evidence the rich and strong culture that lies at the heart of the communities in Maumere.
We were welcomed with traditional dancers & then presented with traditional welcoming scarves?
This was an incredible experience with children from 21 schools each performing their own song and dance acts. These are based on traditional Indonesian folklore, with each school having their own drums & percussion band accompaniment. When this is teamed with the energy, enthusiasm and pride shown by the students, teachers and families, you appreciate why this festival is so very important.
Each of the 21 schools received a trophy, with the contest results being split into three groups, each group having first, second and third prizes. The overall prize winners were outstanding with a highly professional performance.
Thank you to these amazing students and schools for allowing us to share in this special event.
Thursday 26 October 2023
Today we visited the library at the Ledalero Higher Seminary.
The Ledalero Library is one of the work units within the Ledalero Catholic College of Philosophy which is tasked with providing various types of collections in order to support lecture activities at STFK Ledalero.The Ledalero Library was founded by Father Adrian Vlooswijk, SVD on May 20 1937. The name Ledalero Library was taken from the name of the Saint Paul Ledalero High Seminary Library.
The collection of books and magazines in this library at that time was maily in Dutch, German and Latin. It is known that the lecturers at this institution are all priests from the Netherlands and Germany. Latin was the language of instruction for lectures, because that was the demand of the Church at that time.
Collection of books and magazines mainly related to Theology, Philosophy, Missiology and Religion. There is also a small collection of books in Social Sciences, History, Arts, etc. There are very few books in Indonesian. This situation lasted until the 1960s, and after that, collections of books in English and Indonesian began to appear.
Since the 1970s, the book classification system, which previously used an alphabetical system, was changed to a decimal classification system (Dewey Decimal Classification) which is used in the international library world. A cataloguing system, both in the form of catalogue cards and in computer data is used.
To date, the Ledalero Library provides various collections such as printed books, e-books, theses, theses, dissertations, national and international journals, newspapers (local, national, international) and scientific and popular magazines. Along with advances in technology, the Ledalero Library is currently developing a digital library and automation services to make it easier for users to access the available collections.
The Ledalero Library is one of the work units within the Ledalero Catholic College of Philosophy which is tasked with providing various types of collections in order to support lecture activities at STFK Ledalero.The Ledalero Library was founded by Father Adrian Vlooswijk, SVD on May 20 1937. The name Ledalero Library was taken from the name of the Saint Paul Ledalero High Seminary Library.
The collection of books and magazines in this library at that time was maily in Dutch, German and Latin. It is known that the lecturers at this institution are all priests from the Netherlands and Germany. Latin was the language of instruction for lectures, because that was the demand of the Church at that time.
Collection of books and magazines mainly related to Theology, Philosophy, Missiology and Religion. There is also a small collection of books in Social Sciences, History, Arts, etc. There are very few books in Indonesian. This situation lasted until the 1960s, and after that, collections of books in English and Indonesian began to appear.
Since the 1970s, the book classification system, which previously used an alphabetical system, was changed to a decimal classification system (Dewey Decimal Classification) which is used in the international library world. A cataloguing system, both in the form of catalogue cards and in computer data is used.
To date, the Ledalero Library provides various collections such as printed books, e-books, theses, theses, dissertations, national and international journals, newspapers (local, national, international) and scientific and popular magazines. Along with advances in technology, the Ledalero Library is currently developing a digital library and automation services to make it easier for users to access the available collections.
We then went to the Nitakloang primary school to make a book donation on behalf of the NTA donors, where we were welcomed by the students in national costume performing their dance that won them first prize at the school dance and music festival, held on Wednesday.
We then went to the Nangarasong primary school, where we presented the fourth TIB unit. At this school they have 212 students and 13 teachers.
We also gave them 3 laptops & 3 IPads to access TIB educational material, including the latest Indonesian school curriculum.
We also gave them 3 laptops & 3 IPads to access TIB educational material, including the latest Indonesian school curriculum.
To finish off the day, we then went to meet a new group of villagers at Namgahure, who were also building water tanks and toilets with contributions from NTA.
Friday 27 October 2023
Friday was our last day in Flores. We visited SDI Sapanjawa primary school to make another book donation. This school has 50 students and 10 teachers. NTA have provided book cases (for library), a water tank and provide library and teacher training.
After this, we wen back to one of the Ian Tena Sub villages, to meet the villagers who will be participating in the WASH project and have lunch with them.
Presentation OF TIB Units To Schools In West Timor
The remaining two TIB units (out of total of four) were provided to the following schools in West Timor by Pak Frans, NTAI's Education officer.
Teachers and students at these schools are very happy to receive assistance from Rotary which really helps them in accessing information and learning activities in class. They expressed their thanks to Rotary.
Two student laptops were also donated to SMP Negeri 5 East Kupang, SD Negeri Nunkurus and SMP Nusa Timor and SMA Pahlawan Bintang Timur schools. Ipads were also donated to SMP Negeri 2 school in South Semau.
Below are photos if the presentations of the TIB units, student laptops & IPads to these schools.
- Middle school SMP Nusa Timur and
- Junior high school SMA Pahlawan Bintang Timur in Camplong.
Teachers and students at these schools are very happy to receive assistance from Rotary which really helps them in accessing information and learning activities in class. They expressed their thanks to Rotary.
Two student laptops were also donated to SMP Negeri 5 East Kupang, SD Negeri Nunkurus and SMP Nusa Timor and SMA Pahlawan Bintang Timur schools. Ipads were also donated to SMP Negeri 2 school in South Semau.
Below are photos if the presentations of the TIB units, student laptops & IPads to these schools.
