Help Promote Good Reading Habits in Kalimantan

The Nutrition in Action (NIA) program was originally designed to address malnutrition and unhealthy eating habits in the communities we aim to support. These challenges are prevalent in our project areas; Cipanas, West Java, and Bukit Batu, Central Kalimantan, where awareness about hygiene and healthy nutrition remains limited. Tackling this issue is one of our organization’s main focuses over the next three years.

In Kalimantan, the NIA program targets library members. Once a week, through health and nutrition activities, our staff educate them on the importance of healthy living and eating nutritious food. After each information session, the children enjoy a glass of milk along with a healthy snack. The snacks provided are simple, affordable, and nutritious. The menu includes items like chocolate pudding, fresh fruit slices, and milk biscuits. Sometimes, the children even help our librarian prepare the snacks.

Parents are happy to see that the YUM library is not only dedicated to their children’s education but also to their health and well-being.

Let’s hear what our library members have to say about the program:

VI, a 5th grader who lives quite far from the library, never misses a chance to come, especially on Thursdays—the day the NIA program takes place. “I love coming to the library. There are so many interesting books to read. On certain days, the librarian teaches us how to take care of our health, and then she gives us a glass of milk and delicious pudding.” 

EZ, another 5th grader, joined the library last year. “This library is much better than my school. I can get a glass of milk and fruit slices for free. Inside the library, there are many nice books to read. And if I want to play outside, my friends and I can use the library’s equipment as long as we return it after we finish playing!” 

Last year, we ran our first Kids Entrepreneurship workshop successfully. Ten selected students from the sixth grade enrolled in fun, creative and inspiring entrepreneurial activities over five consecutive days. The workshop was led by two YUM staff who played the role of their mentors. The workshop was designed to introduce the notions of entrepreneurship in hopes that it would  open the minds of the students and have an impact on how they see their future.

The same workshop ran this year, but with more participants. This time around, 15 active library members who are sixth graders with good grades in math were selected to participate. In the classroom, the participants learned about the characteristics and terms that are often used in the entrepreneurship world. They were also challenged to make their own small business plan. As for practical activities, they went to nearby supermarkets to purchase items for their business ideas, visiting and interviewing the small local entrepreneurs and working on their teamwork skills through a cup pyramid challenge. On the last day, the participants practiced their entrepreneurial skills during the annual Creativity Day organised by YUM. The students were given the responsibility of being in charge of Food and Drinks. The attendees of Creativity Day were given a coupon to exchange for snacks, and could purchase the snacks if they wanted more.

Let us hear what EV  said about the workshop:

“I enjoyed all of the activities at the Kids Entrepreneurship workshop. There is always new information and fun activities. My favorite part was when we went to the coffee shop and interviewed the owner.”

And what SE said; 

“Thanks for choosing me as a participant of this workshop. Since we had to learn and practice with different groups each day, I have met new friends. My favorite activity was when we did the snack selling at Creativity Day. I love serving people.”

With this program, we would like them to experience the entrepreneurial atmosphere and to begin thinking about their future employment. We also wanted to show them other forms of employment other than working in an office, factory, mine or plantation fields, as these kinds of employment are things that they know and see in their neighbourhood.  All of the activities in the program were designed to inspire them to be creative, improve their self-confidence and train their problem solving skills.