BALI — Waste education for school students was a key component of Dompet Dhuafa’s Voluntrip Waste Summit in Bali. The educational event took place at SD Negeri 5 Kesiman, Denpasar, on Friday (22/9/2023).
A total of 106 students cheerfully welcomed the arrival of the Dompet Dhuafa team. The teachers also welcomed this environmental awareness activity with warmth. The waste education included waste collection and weighing, storytelling, health check-ups, and traditional games.
Various teams from Dompet Dhuafa participated in this action, including Dompet Dhuafa Bali, the Disaster Management Center (DMC), and Dompet Dhuafa Volunteers (DDV). Interestingly, the event featured a Volunteer Specialist from Dompet Dhuafa, Dr. Tsaqyla Sabansya, and Imelda Naomi, the author of the book “Luftan and the Monster.”
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Ni Luh Putu Deyanti Dewi, a first-grade teacher at SDN 5 Kesiman, said, “We were delighted to have the Dompet Dhuafa team and Kak Naomi visit our school.” The children could hear stories directly from the author of ‘Luftan and the Monster.‘ We also played traditional games. The children were happy to be examined by the doctor. I would like to thank Dompet Dhuafa for their visit.”
She explained that SDN 5 Kesiman has collaborated with Bali Wastu Lestari, a local waste bank in Denpasar. Through this collaboration, the children are taught about waste separation both at school and home. Every month, the school organizes a waste-weighing activity. Each child is encouraged to bring collected waste from home to be weighed at school. They then earn a savings amount from the waste, which is given back to them as cash at the end of the year.
“The school is located not far from the final waste disposal site. People passing by there can smell the unpleasant odor of the waste. This also motivates us to teach students to sort waste from an early age. So, when it’s disposed of there, the landfill authorities can immediately place the waste in the appropriate categories,” she elaborated.
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Indeed, waste management issues in Bali have become a prominent topic in recent years. Therefore, Dompet Dhuafa Bali has made this issue a primary focus. Dompet Dhuafa Bali has organized several beach clean-up activities, including one scheduled for Saturday (23/9/2023) with DDV volunteers.
“It’s our collective duty to keep the environment clean. Hopefully, by visiting schools like this, we take small steps in teaching the importance of properly disposing of waste,” stated Fadly Hassan, the Branch Manager of Dompet Dhuafa Bali.
It turns out that SD Negeri 5 Kesiman has long owned the book “Luftan and the Monster.” Most students have already read it. The arrival of Kak Naomi, the author, thrilled the students, who had the opportunity to hear the book read and narrated by the author herself.
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“Luftan is a real person, not a fictional character. He is a young person who cares deeply about the environment. Hopefully, other children can learn from Luftan. They become more observant of their surroundings, understanding different types of waste, which will be increasingly beneficial for the environment and the community,” said Naomi.
During the health check-up, Dr. Tsaqila also conveyed a message to the students about always maintaining clean and healthy living habits. Everyone can start by keeping themselves clean. If everyone is aware of living cleanly, it will help prevent diseases caused by environmental pollution.
“In maintaining environmental cleanliness, we can start by keeping ourselves clean, which is a behavior of clean and healthy living. The connection between the environment and health is strong, where clean behavior reflected in daily life can protect oneself and the surrounding community from diseases caused by environmental pollution,” she concluded.
Following this event, Dompet Dhuafa proceeded to Martasari Beach and Padang Galak Beach to continue with the Voluntrip Waste Summit activities. (Dompet Dhuafa/Muthohar)