Help Build a School for Underprivileged Children

Dear friends and kind donors,

The Punthuk Sewu Skills Learning Center is an initiative designed to provide alternative education that responds to the developmental needs of children and young people in Indonesia today. This facility, established by Yayasan INFEST Yogyakarta, aims to address ongoing educational challenges, especially for disadvantaged groups living in rural areas of Yogyakarta. While we are not yet able to operate a formal school, we provide a community learning center that offers thematic education and practical skills training for young people and others who need access to such opportunities. We also collaborate with several schools to deliver short learning programs that strengthen children’s capacity, build their confidence and soft skills, and help them adapt to rapidly changing social conditions.

With our current limitations, we continue to offer skills training programs in two primary areas: agribusiness and sustainable agriculture, as well as livestock education. Additionally, we conduct learning activities for school-age children between the ages of 7 and 14.

During this reporting period, we successfully delivered two batches of skills training for young people aged 15–25. In January and March 2025, we organized six-day training programs on sustainable agriculture and livestock management, each attended by 20 participants. These trainings introduced the principles of regenerative agriculture and circular agriculture-livestock systems. Participants were guided to apply these concepts to increase agricultural productivity, enhance the economic value of their commodities, and reduce the negative environmental impacts caused by synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

One of the most inspiring aspects of this program was the participants’ enthusiasm despite our limited training facilities. Their motivation remained high throughout the sessions, as vocational and thematic training opportunities of this kind are still rare in Indonesia and often difficult to access. Participants learned core principles of regenerative agriculture and the circular economy, and practiced a series of skills, including making organic fertilizer, producing plant-based pesticides, formulating livestock feed rations, and calculating small-scale agribusiness models.

During this period, we also welcomed study visits from several community groups, including farmer and livestock communities from four villages in Blora District. A total of 40 participants, accompanied by Universitas Gadjah Mada, came to Punthuk Sewu to learn about sustainable agriculture and circular economy models. They studied, in detail, how regenerative agriculture and circular systems can support forest conservation and the restoration of degraded forest areas in Blora, Central Java.

We continued hosting open learning sessions for children in the afternoons. Even with minimal facilities, these sessions offer children opportunities to learn basic skills, read books, and discuss the academic challenges they encounter at school. They also practiced storytelling as a method of expressing ideas and strengthening their cognitive and psychosocial development. These complementary classes help address the lack of learning support at home due to limited parental capacity or guidance.

What we need now

Considering the urgent need for improved educational facilities at Punthuk Sewu, we are seeking broader support to build an adequate learning space. It includes classrooms, a small laboratory, a library, a multipurpose hall, and simple residence rooms for visiting learners. Having these facilities will enable us to expand our services, including the opening of formal education pathways in the future, and sustainably reach more beneficiaries.

Thank you for your continued support.