Activities

Writer: Adrianus Ubas, Programme Officer Field Office Sumba
Editor: Firra Kholisha Mustika, Communication

Coinciding with World Water Day (WWD), which is celebrated every year on March 22, DESMA Center carries out environmental awareness campaign activities for Efata Omba Rade Vocational School, Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara on March 22 2024. Referring to the WWD 2024 theme "Water for Peace", this activity has the sub-theme "Use Water Wisely" with the tagline "Create Water Saving Behavior".

This activity was attended by school management, teachers and all students of Efata Omba Rade Vocational School. There are two activities carried out, planting long-lived tree saplings and environmental education by the DESMA Center Team. Participants planted 200 tree saplings in the holes with a planting distance of 1 (one) meter that had been provided. The tree saplings planted are ornamental areca palm, Sumba areca nut, durian, coconut, water guava, avocado, mango and rambutan. Apart from that, participants made bamboo biopores which were placed near the planted tree saplings. These biopores will help the soil absorb water on the ground surface, thereby reducing waterlogging or flooding.

Environmental awareness education was facilitated by Mr Boyke Hutapea, Program Manager Field Office DESMA Center Sumba. The material presented is related to the impacts of climate change that is currently occurring; with the aim of school management, teachers and all students gain awareness of climate change actions and apply them in their daily life behavior.

This behavior is stated in the Principal's Circular, such as turning off the tap after using water, turning off electricity when not in use, planting trees, caring for plants, keeping the room and school environment clean and reducing plastic waste by bringing your own water bottle, carrying a shopping bag and using plastic wisely.

This environmentally based educational activity is part of the Independent Learning concept as an implementation of the Independent Curriculum. DESMA Center hopes that this facilitated activity can build awareness to care more about protecting the environment. Not only as a theory, but also can be implemented. One of them is by placing students as active subjects in learning and using relevant methods.

This Environmental Awareness Campaign is part of Program TVET for Sustainable Tourism Development in Sumba which is implemented by the DESMA Center.

_____________

The TVET for Sustainable Tourism Development in Sumba program is supported by MISEREOR/KZE; implemented by the DESMA Center. Strengthening the Capacity of Tourism Human Resources aims to realize "a tourism vocational school education program in Sumba to meet the needs and requirements of the tourism industry, thereby offering better job opportunities for young people and supporting sustainable tourism in Sumba."

This program includes strengthening (1) The management capacity of tourism vocational schools in line with the independent curriculum and the concept of sustainable tourism; (2) Teacher capacity in pedagogical knowledge, about teaching and sustainable tourism (3) Tourism Vocational School-Tourism Industry Partnership; and (4) Students' entrepreneurial capacity in creating a sustainable tourism business.

The direct beneficiaries of this program are (1) Pancasila Vocational School – Tambolaka, Southwest Sumba; (2) SMK Negeri 2 Tambolaka City, Southwest Sumba; (3) Bakti Luhur Vocational School – Tambolaka, Southwest Sumba; (4) Efata Vocational School - Omba Rade, Southwest Sumba; and (5) Waikabubak State Vocational School 1, West Sumba. The direct partners of this program are (1) East Nusa Tenggara Province Education & Culture Office; (2) Southwest Sumba Regency Government; (3) West Sumba Regency Government; (4) Southwest Sumba Regency Tourism Office; and (5) West Sumba Regency Tourism Office.