Children in Villages Can Also Have Meaningful Activities

Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI) has started a community assistance and empowerment programme in East Lombok. Its goal is to raise community awareness of child wellbeing. Various mentoring and empowerment activities have been running since October 2022, involving all community members. WVI is committed to continuing its work to have a positive impact on the community, especially the most vulnerable children and families. 

Working with the community, WVI facilitates the establishment or strengthening of child groups in each assisted village. These groups are important because they provide a platform for children to deepen their life skills and increase their participation in the community. 

In addition to forming child groups, there are also capacity-building activities for adults, including religious leaders, so they can become mentors for children aged 6-11. This is crucial so that mentors can fill group activities with meaningful content and engaging methods. Furthermore, the child groups can run more smoothly and regularly because there are trained mentors in each village. 

"We have held seven child group meetings, once a month. The children are very enthusiastic about participating in this activity because I deliver the material using songs and games. The children's parents are also very supportive because it can be a place for them to do positive things. For example, at home, children often play on their gadgets, but because they participate in the child group, they forget about them. The children learn while playing in this group," said Mrs. Susiana, a child mentor in the village. 

In these groups, children learn various topics about life skills, such as children's rights and responsibilities, child abuse, child resilience, self-concept from an Islamic perspective, stopping bullying, and being wise with social media. Additionally, there is also material on health and personal hygiene. Based on WVI team monitoring, 222 children regularly participate in these groups. 

"I'm happy to be able to learn while playing with my friends after school. We are taught how to wash our hands, how to brush our teeth, and we are even taught to love each other as friends. We often learn while singing too," said Rafa, a member of the child group. 

The presence of the child groups has brought a new dynamic to the daily lives of the villagers. The activities are simple but can still bring joy to the children. "My hope is that we can continue to mentor the child groups. In the future, we can be even more innovative in planning a variety of activities so that the children don't get bored easily and remain enthusiastic about coming," concluded Mrs. Susiana. 

Author: Widayati (East Lombok operational area staff) 

Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)