Social Transformation School (STS) initiated by EcoNusa Foundation is part of a series of local education. The process was set off by visiting the targeted villages to conduct brief survey and interview with village apparatus. The visits were intended to identify the existing potentials of each areas. EcoNusa has targeted villages whose areas were parts of the palm oil concession that had recently been revoked.
From the data, EcoNusa facilitated theoretical and practice classes along with the community needs and potentials. The community has got added knowledge and expertise so they could manage their own potentials and sell them to market. Hopefully, they will get extra income from the process here.
EcoNusa consultant for business affairs who facilitated the Mogatemin STS in South Sorong, Yohanes Dwi Subagyo, explained that in addition to bolster local capacity to make local products, STS is also intended to make the locals have the capacity to create, read, and manage data and information. “Data and information will serve as the basis of local potential management in short, medium and long terms,” said Yohanes.
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Besides, in the STS, the participants came from the best local cadres with data presentation skills. With this capacity, they could elaborate data and information to the wider public based on the simple technique and experience they had learned.
In the 6th STS in Mogatemin on 26-31 March 2022, the instruction materials was based on the inputs provided by the village head with reference to their own commodity potential and characteristics. As from 13 villages participating in the STS, their most predominant potentials are sago and shrimp. Traditional gardening as another potential has become tradition from generation to generation which needs to improve their land productivity.
Referring to the community needs, all participants were seriously involved in the given materials. The instructors have credible knowledge and experience. Thus, the knowledge transfer process could run well and satisfying.
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Despite the imperfect transfer of knowledge on the other part, the STS kept going along with its philosophy as saying that keeping to walk and learn while creating a road. This is the EcoNusa major drive to cooperate with the community to promote their nature potentials with sensible management for welfare and sustainable livelihood of the native Papuans on their homeland.
“At least the community can suffice their own needs through simple ways,” said Yohanes.
As to him, EcoNusa and other institution are only a starter and the government should take the community problems into their consideration. Therefore, the government is expectedly to strengthen some points on their authority. Other institution like EcoNusa will monitor and support the process to speed up the local welfare of those villages.
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With the Mogatemin STS, a strategic collaboration among South Sorong Regency and EcoNusa is expectedly to improve better. It is expected that what has been set off could run the process well to generate something useful to the native Papuan particularly in the remote villages dwelling in the coastal and forests areas.
Mogatemin local figure, Imanuel Tigori, was glad to know the activities held by EcoNusa here. From some activities for a few days, he observed that the knowledge transferred to the participants was very remarkable because it is relevant to the existing potentials of each participant’s village.
“I was once in Riau and I saw the people making noddle, biscuits, and other kind of cake from sago. I also see the we can do the same here. So, I hope it will not only papeda (sago-made porridge), but the young people here could also make cake or noddle from sago because we have abundant sago,” Imanuel said.
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Mogatemin STS Principal, Matheos Y. Rayar, said that the STS activity will not halt on the fifth day, but keep going up through to the next three months. The participants of each village will continue the process, follow the agenda as mandated by the Follow-up Action Plan (RTL), and EcoNusa will continue to assist the process here. “We will continue to provide assistance so their RTL could be executed in their villages,” said Matheos.
With the given assistance here, it is hoped that the participants have self-confidence and remain focusing on execution of their plan. Doing this way, they could become the master of their own home to manage the local nature potential for their own welfare.
Editor: Leo Wahyudi, Nur Alfiyah, Lutfy Putra
