Quality Education for Children in Indonesia

The Box of Books (BOB) program is part of YUM’s Community Library activities, which aim to foster good reading habits and meaningful reading experiences, especially among students. This initiative was launched to address the limited access many students have to educational resources. Many parents cannot afford to buy books due to prioritizing daily needs. It worsens with the lack of public as well as school libraries.

With your support this year, we were able to deliver boxes to eight schools in Cipanas, West Java. Seven of these schools have been participating in the program since last year, with over 2,300 students benefiting from access to these quality reading materials. Each box contains 100 books across various genres, such as children’s stories, comic books, books on animals, folk tales, and more. Four rotations of the boxes have already been completed, allowing each school to continuously receive fresh and engaging reading materials throughout the year. The next rotation is scheduled for January 2026.

Let’s hear what Ms. A,  a teacher of SDN Pacet 1 has to say about this program:

“With the presence of the book box, children have become more interested in literacy activities. It is because the books inside the box are very appealing. I hope the book box program at our school will continue. Thank you, YUM.”

And here’s what the students have shared about their experience with the books:

AR, 4th grader from SDN Pacet 1:

“I was very happy when the box arrived at my school. The books are in full colour with beautiful pictures inside. The stories inside are also really good. I am always excited when it is my turn to choose the book. Thank you YUM.”

SA, 4th grader from MI Akhlaqiyah:

“Since my school participated in the program, I have more meaningful activities during break time. I love reading and am happy to have more options from the books.”

As we are approaching the end of 2025, we would like to wish you happy holidays! As the year ends, we would like to ask you for one final donation in 2025 towards this project, in hopes of bringing the joy of books to even more schools and inspiring young minds to explore, imagine, and learn. Any gift, big or small, will help us continue our work. From all of us at Yayasan Usaha Mulia, thank you again and we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Dear friends,

As we move into the second year of our Nutrition in Action program, Yayasan Usaha Mulia (YUM) remains committed to addressing malnutrition and poor eating habits in our community. Thanks to your generous support, every Wednesday our preschoolers enjoy free, healthy lunches and snacks.

Each Wednesday, a group of parents takes turns preparing lunch for all the students. They use YUM’s kitchen for cooking and set up the lunch tables in the community hall. While the parents, most of whom are mothers, prepare the meals, the children spend time playing at the playground. The menu is designed and approved by YUM’s Health Coordinator, who is also a certified nutritionist. Once every two months, he also leads parenting sessions, where he educates parents about nutritious food and healthy lifestyle habits.

Let’s hear what some of the parents have to say:

“There is so much new knowledge I’ve gained about nutritious food from these gatherings. I now realize that the food we usually serve at home often lacks essential nutrients for our children. Through these sessions, I’ve learned helpful recommendations and easy recipes for healthy meals that I can prepare at home.”  Ms. Y, mother of YM.

“After attending the parenting guide session, I now understand the importance of iodized salt. It turns out that it has great benefits for children's health, especially for their growth and in preventing goiter. Now, whenever I shop, I always choose iodized salt for my family.".” Mrs. H, mother of AF.

We’ve also included a video link below so you can see how the program is making a real difference on the ground :Healthy lunchtime for our preschoolers

Thank you once again for walking with us on this journey. We hope you enjoy the video and continue to be inspired by the impact of your support.

Links:

• Nutrition in Action