Students Exposure from Sumba

in Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is well known as a student city. Most Indonesian students, especially those who are coming from out of Java Island, want to continue their study here. Unfortunately, only some of them can make their wish come true. Yogyakarta provides various educational institutions, complete supporting educational facilities, comfortable and friendly study environment  and relatively low of living cost, that suggest people to stay.

Stube-HEMAT Sumba gave an opportunity for several college students and youth from Sumba to study in Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta. By carrying them to Yogyakarta, Stube-HEMAT gave a new and attractive experience because they could find and learn some differences between Yogyakarta and their region.

They were Yonatan Kura (23) and Henggu Hama Pati (23), collage students of STIE Kriswina Waingapu, Anggraini Warata (21) and Marselina Loda Ana Amah (22) – both of them are students of STT GKS Lewa, also Antonius Karepi Andung (22) from GKS Kanjonga Bakul and Aprienjes T. Lay (23) from GKS Mauhau.

For 3 weeks, from August 29 to September 18, 2012,they went to some places to learn and improve their skills which will be developed in Sumba, such as learning about freshwater catfish, pokcing manure, and organic vegetable in Sahabat Gloria Foundation. In Sahabat Bambu, facilitated by Indra Setiadharma, they learned about bamboo preservation technique. Furthermore, in Karti Aji, Minggir, Sleman, they learned about making various shapes and functional instruments by plaiting bamboo.

While, in Samas, they learned about agriculture by cultivating sand dune with Mr. Subandi, a pioneer farmer in Samas Sand Dune Agriculture.

Next, for being able to manage local food sources, they were provided with  skills to make spongecake and pastry made of MOCAF (cassava flour), sticky rice flour, and banana flour. It’s expected that they would be inspired and could develop other local food sources that abundantly provided in Sumba.

As the complement of this study tour in Yogyakarta, they visited some tourism areas such as Malioboro, Borobudur Temple, Gembira Loka Zoo, studying community Sanggar Anak Alam, and a new experience, travelling by train to Solo.

The program has a very clear goal, that is, giving youth opportunity to learn and experience to achieve some enlightenment and bringing them to be open-minded. Moreover, the activity can improve their braveness to take chance for Sumba development, like Antonius, one of the participants said “Before I followed Stube, especially this program, I didn’t know what I have to do and after I joined, I know many possibilities that I can do, such as making organic manure for my land, making some handy-crafts, construction and furniture from bamboo and I can share what I’ve got to my friends and society”. (TRU).