Youth is a friend for the nature

Nature is the only place for the living creature to live. In the beginning, nature is a good place for human to live as it provides everything to cultivate and even it nurture the sustainability of human’s life. However, nowadays nature is getting damaged, human who is supposed to keep and nurture it, even exploit it greedily without caring of its sustainability for the future. As the result, the condition of land, air, clean water deteriorates and the living creatures are threatened.

There are many changes of natural conditions in Sumba, such as grasshopper raid in East Sumba few months ago, failure of food crops because of mice, reduction of water springs and savanna fire during dry season. It causes damage to food crops and brings a risk to food security, disruption of food chains and drought. People who live depend on the nature must work harder to fullfil their needs.

Based on the reality, Stube-HEMAT Sumba as an institution mentoring for young people and Christian students in Sumba held a training on Christian Character and Nature Conservation with a theme Be a friend for the nature. This theme encouraged Christian students in Sumba to learn Christian character and the problems faced by Sumba community, especially environment conservation. There were 30 students from Wira Wacana University, STT Terpadu and STT GKS participated the training held in the Training Centre for Agriculture and Village Autonomy (P4S), Bina Karya Swadaya in Lewa, East Sumba on Friday to Sunday, Sep 29-Oct 1, 2017.

The first speaker, Rev. Naftali Djoru. S.Th. M, Si, the former chairman of GKS synod shared his church experience that should care of environment and church should take part in environmental conservation. The biblical review of Genesis 2:15, The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and preserve the garden. This affirmed humans to nurture and care for nature as a form of Christian character, especially in Sumba.

Next, Ir. Ida Bagus Putu Punia, M.Si, head of Environmental Agency in East Sumba regency, described environmental problems in Sumba and the conservation effort. He illustrated that this nature was damaged by exploitation of humans and destructors who did not restore what has been taken from the nature.

I Gusti Made Raspita, a community leader and the founder of Yayasan Sumba Sejahtera (YSS), usually called 'a farmer with a tie' because his success in fostering awareness among Sumbanese on environmental concern. He said that many people was smart in theory but did not do what they said. In addition, life needs balance by giving attention to sustainable conditon of ecology, social, and economy. Thus, it needs continuous effort to love the conserved environment.

Participants presentation on exposure to Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta, Marinus Mardi Ishak, Desriani Kahi Mila Meha and Erik Bidikonda Hawula completed this training process by sharing new knowledge about sand farming, pigs breeding and utilization of used products to the participants. Yohanis Bulu, a student of STT GKS said, "I am very  grateful to join Stube especially by following this activity, because not all information I can get in campus. Stube invited me to see the phenomenon, shared and received knowledge with friends from other campus"

It is time for Christian Sumbanese youth to start paying attention to nature and environment of Sumba. Small actions, such as planting tree and caring for plants can be the beginning to conserve nature. (Meliani Retang).