Spreading the "Virus" of Reading
A madrasah ibtidaiyah (Islamic elementary boarding school) student and an adult read in the Children of the Nation Library in Sukopuro village, Jabung district, Malang, East Java, in early April. The library in the village was established 19 years ago and currently has over 58,000 books.
A literacy movement designed to improve reading and writing skills as well as to implement knowledge in real life has developed across the nation. The activists are young people, housewives and police personnel.
If this movement persists, we may hope Indonesian people can help themselves and their societyto prosper.
In West Nusa Tenggara, at Kampung Kertas reading park, Medas Bedugul hamlet, Taman Sari village, Gunungsari district, West Lombok regency, in mid April, there was a crowd of nearly 40 elementary school children.
They were reading, sitting on the verandah, on wooden benches, standing near the bookshelves or leaning against a wall.
“Well, this is how they spend the afternoons. They read books and play here,” said Adi Jupardi, 30, chairman of Kampung Kertas, after receiving a donation of 600 books fromKompas newspaper readers handed over by Suyanto from the Kompas Humanitarian Aid Foundation. A similar donation was given to the Women Readers Club (KBP) at Prawira hamlet, Sokong village, North Lombok and Reading Lovers Club (KCB) Roemah Karya on Jl Melati Raya, Rembiga subdistrict, Mataram.
Kampung Kertas was founded in 2014 on a 100-square-meter plot of land, part of Adi’s home yard. Every Monday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon, Adi and some volunteers give math and English training.
Books and magazines at the library were bought using a portion of Adi’s pay. Earlier in 2013, the graduate of the Teacher Training Faculty at Mataram University, majoring in English, worked at a cattle farm in East Nusa Tenggara. Then, he returned home and worked at a food company in Gili Trawangan.
The Roemah Karya KCB meanwhile was founded by Afrizal Sulton Rasyid alias Ical, 26, in December 2015. The volunteers are generally university students. They display books at some resort areas every Saturday at around 4-6 p.m.
People may read there or borrow the books for free. “If we bring 100 books, usually around 20 of them are bought by children and housewives,” said the 2015 graduate of the Islamic Law Faculty at Malang Muhammadiyah University.
From its launch, the Women Readers Club chaired by Nursida Syam, was more complete. Founded in 2006, the KBP, which targets housewives, farmers and fishermen, now has a collection of 15,000 books. The KBP has 24 branches in North Lombok and has initiated the Kids Love Reading (Kanca) for kids and teenagers. Kanca was started by Baiq Keisha Theana Rosalba, 10, the daughter of Nursida Syam, in July 2015. The fourth grader of SD 8 Sokong lentstory books and encyclopedia to her friends. This inspired Nursida to setup book volunteers at school. There are now 25 volunteers in some elementary schools, junior high schools and senior high schools in North Lombok. At least 500 books are distributed at schools each month.
Open for 24 hours
In Malang, East Java, there is the Anak Bangsa Library in Karangrejo hamlet, Sukopuro village, Jabung district, founded in 1999. The visitors are not only kids but also adults, such as Lilik, 46, a kiosk owner, who on Friday returned three Trubus magazines and five fairy tales. The library is open 24 hours and has a collection of 58,000 books. “All of them were donated,” said Eko Cahyono, 37, the founder of Anak Bangsa. Aside from books, there were also bundles of newspapers and magazine articles.
Now, the library members number 8,000 people. Not only local residents, but also people from all across Malang, Pasuruan, Sumenep, Jember and Banyuwangi.
Eko also operates a mobile library by bicycle across Malang. All of them are free.
Aside from Anak Bangsa, libraries have been founded by residents in Kampung Sinau in Cemoro Kandang village, Kedungkandang district in Malang; Galeri Kreatif in Bantur, Bantur district; Ruang Belajar Aqil in Lowok Waru, Malang and Damar Kreatif in Watugede, Singosari.
Reducing crimes
In East Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan, the police water and air unit (Polairud) chief operates a library and literacy vessel. “I come here almost everyday because the book collection is abundant and new,” said Putri Ayu, 11, a student with SD 1 Samuda Kota, East Kotawaringin, on Friday.
The library at the Polairud headquarters in Pondok Baca is painted in various colors. It has a collection of around 3,000 books. Dozens of children from neighboring villages also come for reading. Chief Brig. Takdir, who was at the library, said the library opened from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. “Sometimes, we have to pick up children who live far from here,” Takdir added.
I come here almost everyday because the book collection is abundant and new.
The Central Kalimantan Polairud runs 11 water police branches. Three of them have libraries in the regencies of Kapuas, East Kotawaringin and West Kotawaringin. It is hoped that all branches will have a library this year.
Central Kalimantan Polairud chief Sr. Comr. Badarudin said the library was built jointly with the local people. The books are from the regional administration’s library.
Aside from the libraries, the Polairud directorate in Central Kalimantan also runs the Kapal Melek Huruf (KMH), literacy vessel, program since 2015. There are 11 vessels which move across Central Kalimantan bringing 1,500 books.
On Friday, Intan, 12, a sixth grader with SN 2 Pelangsiang, Seranau, East Kotawaringin, was excited when a box full of books from KMH arrived. Enthusiastically, Intan and 49 other students competed for the books. “There are no books in our school’s library. We have to copy the school books,” said Intan, holding a book of her choice. There is only one access to get into her school, namely via the Lemiring River, a tributary of the Mentaya River, on a wooden boat.
Badaruddin said the literacy activities were done as a method to prevent crime on the waters.
(Khaerul Anwar, Defri Werdiono, Dionisius Reynaldo Triwibowo)
