From discouragement to hope

In July 2017, after nearly ten years as a teacher, Listerwati thought her teaching career was coming to an end. For the last six years, local religious authorities had advocated the inhabitants of Paninjoan, Indonesia, to not send their children to YBTI (our partner organization in Indonesia) schools. This led to a gradual decline in the number of students to a mere three children. Disappointed, Listerwati was about to give up until she participated in a meeting organized by YBTI, which had a transformative effect on her. At this meeting, the focus of the reflection was on the sacrifice of a teacher in serving the needs of local communities and the crucial role they play in laying a solid foundation for a child’s development. Following this meeting, Listerwati and another young teacher, with a renewed energy, began to face the challenges that would arise.

Raising parents’ awareness of the importance of education

It became evident that the key to enabling children access to education required predominantly the parents support. An experienced teacher was sent by YBTI to support and accompany Listerwati and the young assistant during their visits to parents. After just one week, 3 new children joined the school. With more help and resources, a parental study program was organized with four new mothers participating. The learning experience from this program was shared with neighbors and the larger community and Listerwati began to receive more requests from parents in the village. The word then began to spread to the neighboring village, and one month later, another program was organized with 20 mothers, then another with 15 parents.

 A parental study program organized by Listerwati

The enthusiasm shown by these parents and their appreciation of the program had by now set Listerwati and her assistant teacher on fire. By the end of this cycle of parental study, the number of children in the school had risen to 8.

Collaboration with local institutions

Seeing the interest from parents encouraged Listerwati to contact the local head of the village and ask for their support in helping raise awareness on the importance of child education and the role of parents and society. Two months of preparation and hard work ended with a parental seminar jointly organized by YBTI and the local government of Paninjoan. As a result, an astonishing 86 participants joined the seminar.

The fruit of sustained efforts

After the seminar, the number of children enrolled at Paninjoan Community School had risen to 25, with 3 teachers and Listerwati as the head of the school.

Listerwati, who intended to close her school twenty months earlier, is now taking the key lead in training new teachers and assisting in the growth of the nascent school. Since then, she has been providing her services as a teacher trainer and assists in conducting parental study programs in other community schools.