A Stormy Start to 2023
On 2 January, hurricane-force windsseriously damaged Manikaji School roof, butfortunately, our students were still off for their year-end holiday! Thanks to the fantastic response to our funding appeal, EBPP’s efforts and our students and community’s ‘gotong royong’ (working together for mutual benefit), the new roof and classroom renovations were rapidly completed and our 68 Manikaji students returned to their classrooms on 16th January.
Dry Land Regenerative Agriculture for Sustainable Soil Fertility, Water Retention, Food Security and Climate Resilience
In early January, thanks to our successful Australian Volunteers’ one-year Climate Action Small Grants proposal,
our Manikajihigh school students had the opportunity to learn and implement,through 6 workshops and hands-on field work, facilitated by 2 Indonesian dry-land permaculture experts, agriculture/agroforestry techniques to improve the fertility and water retention of their dry and sandy farmland. Their training includes the basics of agriculture, how to cultivate the land, and prepare maps of the larger concept. With this new knowledge and experience, our students, in 3 groups of 10,spend a few hours every dayin a pilot project near their school: cultivating land, cutting terracing and watercourses, making solid and liquid organic fertilizers, planting and caring for vegetable seeds, and determining the location of companion plants and some for producing biomass fertilizers.They use their detailed weekly activity reports, including videos and photos, to share with their extended families and replicate in their own kitchen gardens.
Photo Exhibition and Presentation of Problems and Appeal to Government
On 10th February, Manikaji junior and senior high students withother EBPP students held a photo exhibition and presentation,for government and traditional village leaders,as part of their extra-curricular EMpower Photovoices program, to illustrate the problemsof damaged roads and community awareness in carrying out greening of their surrounding environment, located on the slopes of Mount Abang.There is still a lot of land and bare hills that often erode during the rainy season. The positive impact of the event was that the government forestry service contacted EBPP, and provided 670 assorted tree seedlings to be planted in Manikaji hamlet. They were proud; their voices were heard!
English Club
In mid-February,three Manikaji high school students eagerly joined 13 other EBPP students forour new twice weekly‘English Club’, created for students who wished to learn more English!Amazing progress so far!
We once again express our gratitude to all of our GlobalGiving donors for continued support, enabling our students to pursue their dreams of having a better future.
Thanks so much for your continued support for Manikaji students’ education during 2022.
This week, they complete their first semester and on 9 January 2023 will start the second semester.
After 3 challenging years, we’re all looking forward to 2023 with new spirit and new hope, especially our children who, despite the difficulties, are more eager than ever to learn – AND graduate school.
So much so that they asked us to help them make an end of year gratitude and appeal video:please click the link below
Many thanks again and we hope that you are able to continue your support during 2023.
Wishing you a very happy and healthy New Year 2023
Warmest regards,
David and the EBPP Team
Links:
First, we would like to congratulate the students who have advanced to a higher level in this first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, as well as those who have passed the final semester exams, and the new students who have just enrolled. There were 15 new students consisting of 12 elementary school students and 3 high school students. This new school year was greeted with great joy by all the students, especially when our teachers’ distributed stationery, sanitation equipment such as masks and hand sanitizers, as well as new uniforms for all students.
77th Indonesian Independence Day Celebrations
After missing 2 years due to the covid19 pandemic, finally EBPP students were able to celebrate Independence Day together. The activities held included flag ceremony, sports competitions, dramas and several artistic and song creativity performances. Manikaji School’scompetition placings were: 1st place in the tug of war competition, 2nd place in bottle fishing competition, 3rd place in coin collection competition. Other activities staged were, an Education Drama "A Choice for a Better Future", a song performance of "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You", and Modern Dance.
Mid-semester Exams for the 2022/2023 academic year
Held in mid-September, the exam measures student learning progress and the computer-Based National Assessment for 8th grade students and 5th grade elementary students in October. These levels of students were selected according to the ministry of education and culture because they already have experienced the learning process and contributed to the learning outcomes measured in the National Assessment.
Cultural arts and traditional dance
The traditional Balinese dances studied/practised are: Rejang Dewa, Puspanjali, and Merak Angelo dances. In cultural arts activities, they learn material according to a predetermined theme and immediately practice. Other activities include making motivating sentences, making various posters such as: Balinese language posters. and Math posters, and draw basic sketches, line and plane making and pencil colour grading techniques.
Counselling guidance
Our School Counsellor, Ms Nova, continued her weekly student counselling, handling personal cases and providing assistance for several confidential cases after their focussed exercises and meditation every morning. The latest topic is “managing time" with animated videos and finally making wall clocks that are displayed in classrooms.
EMpower Extra-Curricular
In their extra-curricular activities, students worked on creative programs they’d selected such as: community interviews, taking photos about problems around them that focus on nature conservation, making Power Points, practicing music, editing videos, and making posters, then collecting the information according to their topic. The results of these activities will also be used as campaign material. In addition, for the new group of students they learned about nutrition, cooking classes and visits to monthly health post for the baby and mother, then continued with basic computer learning activities, such as: Microsoft World, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Power Point.
We would like to thank all the donors who have helped, so that so far the students at Manikaji school can continue to study well.
All Manikaji School students were very happy when the government authorised return to classroom learning on 7th of Marchwhen teachers immediately distributed module books for all study subjectsfor the 2nd semester academic year 2021-22.
Government exams to graduate Elementary, Junior and Senior High School
The exams that all our students have been waiting for,taken offline:
We’re very pleased to report that all students graduated!
We were pleased also that our Balinese traditional dance classesresumed, focusing onthe Rejang Dewa, Puspanjali, Merak Angelo, and Margapati dances.
Extra-curricular EMpower program activities
In addition to the main learning topics of reproductive health, nutrition, job & university readiness andPhotovoices, all of our junior and senior high school students enjoyed a full day history and culture field trip in April to the Royal family’s Puri Karangasem and the two water places of Taman Ujung and Tirta Gangga where they also held elections for the new Student Council (OSIS) committees, followed by many fun competitive games, finally returning to Desa Ban at 5.30 pm when all happy students returned to their homes.
Our EMpower instructors, in collaboration with Ban village government held meetings to synergize with children's parents and Manikaji community leaders to create parent committees and newpararem (customary laws).
The highlight of this academic year though was being able to hold our first National Education Day event since 2019 on 5th of May, when students of all 6 EBPP schools gathered in Daya to enjoy various competitive events, including intelligence quiz, chess and face painting. In the competitions, Manikaji elementarystudents won 1st place, 2nd place for junior high and 3rd place at the senior high school level. In addition to competitions, the event was enlivened by music performances and songs.To close the event, EBPP Education Coordinator Mr Suarjana, had a graduation announcement:Our two senior high school who took their final exam had passed! Congratulations!!
Students’ health: We were please that our ENT (ear-nose-throat) examinations for all students were conducted in May and all students were happy to have clean ears and full hearing!
The final activities this month were: measurement all studentsfor new uniforms, a graduationcelebration for our grade 12 students, and distribution of students’ report books,attended this year by allstudents’ parents, with the aim of establishing active communication between teachers, students, and their parents.
In the four months since the October 2021 earthquake, Manikaji School renovation was completed, with all of the physical work executed directly by our Manikaji students and their parents! In addition, to help relieve the trauma experienced by most of our students after the 4.8 magnitude earthquake, we provided trauma healing therapy, facilitated initially by our psychology counselling teacher, with professional interventions provided by our professional consultants, Udayana Psychologist Institute. Within a week, students returned to study outside school jn temporary facilities until the school building was safe for return. From November 15-19,2021, students focused on doing their semester exams and on December 17 our teachers gave the students their report cards to see their results for this semester and show their proud parents.
New Semester, January 2022
Shortly after the second semester of academic year 2021-2022started on 3rdJanuary, we are pleased to report that all students aged 6-12 years were given their first Covid vaccine for stages 1 and 2, ages 12-18 are given advanced vaccines for stage 2. This aims to minimize the transmission of the Covid-19 virus. Teaching and learning activities in. Students learn face-to-face in class by implementing strict health protocols. All students are provided with learning equipment such as; notebooks, drawing books, coloured pencils, pencils, pens, etc. and medical equipment such as masks, soap bars, and hand sanitizers to support the learning process.
In addition to academic classes, all students were pleased to resume teaching weekly arts classes of Balinese dance, including the Rejang Dewa dance, Puspanjali dance and Belibis dance and cultural arts activities, where students practiced drawing and colouring with free themes.
EMpower Extra Curricular Youth Empowerment Modules
Starting in 2015 for high school students, these rate among students’ favourite learning activities that are not included in the academic curriculum and are carefully designed to broaden their scope of learning and empower them for their future after graduating high school. Modules learnt during this period for new students comprised computer basics of Microsoft word, Excel and PowerPoint, and introduction to the internet; and reproductive health. Meanwhile, the older students studied advanced Microsoft office, advanced internet, and website design basics. An addition to the Empower programs this year was a talent and interest test for grades 11 and 12 students, designed and delivered by our consultants, Udayana Psychology Institute. This aim to determine the students’ interests and talents to help them prepare to make future plans after graduating from high school. For example, if they hope to continue their studies, they can choose the right major and if they plan to seek jobs, it helps choose the type of work they want.
Return to Home Learning
After enjoying face-to-face classroom learning since early October 2021, students had to return to online learning on February 7thdue to increasedCovid-19 cases. Currently, junior and senior high students are studying through WhatsApp groups while elementary students’ learning materials are distributed to their homes under direct guidance from Manikaji local tutors.
Finally, during the pandemic situation, we continued providing monthly staple food packages to ensure students get adequate nutritional intake during COVID-19.
Thank you to all donors and supporters for your continued trust and assistance
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