JAKARTA — In commemoration of Eid for Orphans in the month of Muharram as well as commemorating National Children’s Day which falls on July 23, Dompet Dhuafa Volunteer (DDV) Jabodetabek launched the Little Explorer activity: Jelajah Budaya Nusantara (Explore Cultural Archipelago) which involved the participation of children, especially orphans in the Jabodetabek area.
Through this momentum, DD Volunteer aims to introduce Indonesian culture by touring Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII). On Sunday (23/7/2023), DD Volunteer Jabodetabek invited 15 orphans who will be accompanied by volunteers to visit several platforms in TMII. The platforms include West Sumatra, Papua, Aceh, and Central Java.
Fajar Firmansyah as the Coordinator of National Dompet Dhuafa Volunteer said that not only the physical needs of orphans need to be met, but psychological needs are also very important. One way to meet these needs is to share happiness.
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“Now we want to give experience to them, provide different happiness by inviting them on an excursion while getting to know the culture more deeply. Strengthening cultural values from all over Indonesia,” said Fajar.
In addition to Jakarta, the Little Explorer event: Jelajah Budaya Nusantara organized by DD Volunteer to commemorate National Children’s Day was also held in Cirebon, Tasikmalaya, and Bandung.
As a philanthropic institution that has long paid attention to cultural preservation, through this activity Dompet Dhuafa wants to provide a means of diversity education while introducing the diversity of Indonesia’s cultural heritage.
“Today the children have visited several platforms, one of which is West Sumatra. They know some heritage objects in West Sumatra, they also identify typical traditional buildings, and they try on traditional clothing as well,” continued Fajar.
Smiles were engraved on their faces, the participants looked very enthusiastic when visiting the Papuan pavilion. The participants also learned about Papuan traditional houses, namely Rumah Honai. They tried directly the art of body makeup to try directly Papuan weapons or archery.
“They know more about Rumah Honai to native Papuan mummies, to also try the Papuan-style body painting, and it is a new experience for them who not only see, but also feel the culture directly on their skin,” added Fajar.
Santiana Rizki Marwah (13), a grade 3 student of SMP Pondok Pesantren Tahfidz Al-Qur’an Bina Attaufiq Atap Yatim, revealed that this activity greatly opened her insight about the variety of cultures in Indonesia.
“Today I asked a lot of questions to the officers on the Papua platform. Papuan traditions, I know about Iki Palek or Putus Jari, and I continue to know about the history of Papua, continue to know about the use of threads, he said it was used to kill wild animals,” Marwah said, telling enthusiastically about her activities that day.
“Never been here, and this is my first time here. It’s nice to know about culture, at first I didn’t know about history, culture and origin, but now I know. I can also know other friends and get along well with the brothers and sisters,” added Marwah.
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The same thing was also felt by Alifian Rahmuktar (8). He said, “Today I was playing in Central Java, to West Sumatra. There was a lot of culture there. It was really exciting and fun! I tried Papuan body painting on my right and left hands and face. Happy and cool,” he said.
“Thank you Dompet Dhuafa for inviting me to Taman Mini. Today I’m happy and it was exciting, it’s just I’m happy that this is the first time I visited Taman Mini,” said another participant, Algani.
Little Explorer: Jelajah Budaya Nusantara is one of the series of agendas of the National Movement to Glorify Orphans. Entering the month of Muharram, Dompet Dhuafa echoed the campaign. And this year there are three main activities, namely Little Explorer: Jelajah Budaya Nusantara, Kado Yatim Nusantara, and Saku Sabang Merauke.
“They are even more enthusiastic to be able to learn and get to know culture, because today there is a cultural crisis and today’s children are the gadget generation. We want to make them get to know the culture and get to know traditional games from their respective regions,” Fajar concluded. (Dompet Dhuafa/Anndini)