Help Promote Good Reading Habits in Kalimantan

Hello dear donors,

With the spirit of New Year, I wish you all well.

With your kind support, our community library in Central Kalimantan has been able to survive the pandemic and continues to provide quality educational resources and activities for the children living in the area. In 2021, every month, close to 80 children come to the library several times a week. Our Tutoring program, which helped primary school children receive support in reading, writing and math, worked with a nearby school and had 60 children enrolled. Thank you for making it all possible!

A few of our small friends wanted to share their experiences with you:

“I love going to the library so I can do coloring and also because I always get a glass of milk. At the library, there is a corner where various toys are available. I love playing with LEGOs and trucks.  Sometimes, I see a group of primary school students in tutoring sessions. I cannot join the group yet because I am still in kindergarten. Since I am not able to read, I pick up books with many pictures. My favorites are  pop up books with animal pictures.”  Repan, 6 years old, kindergarten student. 

“I live in Sukamulya village with my grandmother. Both my parent’s work in the big city (Palangkaraya). I moved here when I started 1st grade of primary school. At the beginning, I did not have many friends and felt shy to ask others to play. But now, I have friends not only to study but also for playing. From the tutoring sessions at YUM, I learned the alphabet and how to write neatly. I also love when I get a glass of milk after the session.”

Nizam , 7 years old, 1st grade student

We’re also taking this opportunity to let you know that next month, from April 4-8, GlobalGiving will be matching all your donations up to $50 at 50% for the #LittleByLittle campaign. We hope you’ll join us during this campaign - or better yet, become fundraiser like Lily!

Hello there!

Thank you everyone for your continuous support of our library in Central Kalimantan. As you know, since the beginning of the pandemic, the library has focused on providing additional learning support for students in the early grades who are still struggling with reading, writing, and math. Though these students also had access to quality reading resources and some activities, we tried to limit the number of children on our premises. However, as the number of Covid cases have drastically reduced, we have slowly resumed several other activities at the library, though these are only for those library members who have been granted permission by the parents and strictly follow all health protocols during their visit. 

Besides the Dance club, other activities such as drawing & coloring, arts & crafts and the English Club have been reactivated. The children are so excited! Each activity starts with 10 minutes of reading. For everyone's safety, only two activities may run in a day. The activities are limited to 15 participants and wearing a mask is mandatory. The YUM staff sanitize the tools after each activity.

“I love to visit the library because I can play and do some coloring activities with my friends. And after we are done with the activity, Miss Rusti will give every one of us a glass of milk.” Fahmi, kindergarten student

“I have known the YUM Library since I was in primary school. I borrowed many books from the library to read at home. Since the schools closed in March 2020, I feel so bored trying to do everything from home. Luckily, now the government regulations are less strict. I can stay longer in the library to look for a good book and hang out a bit with my friends.” Nurlela, secondary school student

The library continues to be a safe and comfortable facility for the many children living in the surrounding villages. Will you help us continue to keep the library open? This year #GivingTuesday takes place on November 30th. As you may know, this will be a global day of giving and it will be a great way to start getting into the ‘giving back holiday’ spirit! If you’d like to participate and join millions of global givers, you may donate at this link https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-promote-good-reading-habits-in-kalimantan/  Your donation will continue to ensure that children in the remote area of Bukit Batu, Central Kalimantan, have access to quality reading materials and educational activities.

Thank you again for your amazing contribution!