Help Educate East Bali Youth to be Future Leaders

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 3^rdJanuary, 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 7^thdue 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

A lot has happened since the beginning of July with the new academic year starting on 13^th July with students still learning remotely, as detailed in our earlier reports, due to Covid but finally returning to the classrooms on 11^th October, with strict Covid-19 health/hygiene protocols in place – and then in the  early morning of 16^th October, a massive earthquake struck our village! I’ll update you with the  current status below.

Starting the new Academic year 2021-2022

Eleven new students enrolled: Elementary, 8 in Grade 1 and one Grade 4; Junior high, two in 7^th Grade. All students were given school stationaries of books, pens, pencils, drawing books, coloured pencils, rubbers, and rulers. 

Independence Day, 17^th August 2021

Pre-Covid we held a full day event in Daya hamlet for all students and their families but this year, due to remote learning, we held several virtual inter-school competitions to commemorate the celebration of Indonesia's 76th IndependenceDay. The competitions held were: Painting at the elementary level, writing poetry at the junior high level and writing stories at the high school level. Manikaji School winners were: at Elementary level, Nuada won 3rd place;Junior high Sutami proudly won first; and Widnyani got 2^nd place at Senior high level! Congratulations to the winners.

Extra-Curricular Empower classes

In this period, to take advantage of the remote learning, all of our high school students were able to choosde from a wide range of ‘creative programs’: painting, dancing, singing, cooking, photography, sports, and also learn computer basics which they excelled at by communicating remotely with their peers

Hooray, Back to Classroom Learning

On the 9^th October, we got the good news from the district education office, where previously students studied almost 1.5 years online, with many obstacles due to the covid-19 pandemic, that commencing 11^th October, they are allowed to study face-to-face. This can be done because the number of Covid cases has decreased drastically, and all students aged 12+ years old have received both their Covid vaccines. The first day they learned face-to-face at school, all students looked very happy; they could meet all their friends and also the teachers who taught directly. This learning is carried out by implementing a strict health protocol, in which all students must wash their hands and have temperatures checked before entering classroom, always use masks, hand sanitizer, and must also maintain social distancing.

The 16^th October Earthquake

Just a week since students returned to the classrooms and disaster struck their village!An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter Scale struck on October 16 at 04.15am. In the whole of Ban Village, the earthquake damaged 1,460 people's houses, of which 377 houses were completely destroyed, and 132 temples, places of worship, were also damaged. The sadness and tears were felt by the EBPP students who lost their homes, toilets and kitchens; only the rubble of the buildings remained! All of them were afraid, traumatized and very worried that aftershocks would occur. Responding to this problem, in the morning the EBPP team immediately moved to the field to find out the situation. When we arrived in the field, we found access roads to the location of many landslides, residents' houses were completely damaged, one child died, many people were seriously injured, two EBPP school buildings in Cegi and Manikaji hamlets were completely damaged, four other schools had cracks in the walls, and12 Manikaji  student houses were totally destroyed – as well as those of 54 students at EBPP’s other 5 schools in Ban village

To help the community and students who are experiencing disasters, EBPP distributes food packages for their families, containing rice, eggs, cooking oil, vegetables, nuts, etc.

Currently, EBPP is more focused on raising funds to build temporary shelters and toilets for all 377families who do not have a home, are worried that the rain will soon fall, they do not have a place to sleep for their family and also lacks of sanitation facilities.

We thank all who have helped, and would be grateful if you will consider donation to our GlobalGiving campaign to raise funds for the shelters Click this link. https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/shelters-for-343-e-bali-earthquake-victim-families/

Your donations will lighten the burden of life for the community and EBPP students. 

Entering the month of April Manikaji students at all levels; elementary, junior and senior high school continue learning online (high school students) and offline due to continued school closures due to the Covid-19pandemic. For elementary students they given materials and monitored by the local tutors regularlyat several students’ assembly houses. While junior and senior high student conduct an online learning through WhatsApp group on a schedule basis.

April was also a challenging month for our four Grade 12 students who sat the equivalency education exams, (which have replaced the national exams) from 19^th-22^nd April and our six Grade 6 (elementary) students who took theirs from17^th- 19^thMay, all held at Manikaji school following strict Covid-19 health protocols. At the end of May, the Government notified us that all our students passed their exams - and our Grade 6 students will move up to junior high school! Congratulations! 

All our other students took their 2nd semester tests from 24^th- 28^thMay when our teachers delivered the question sheets to their homes and collected them the next day for marking.  On 25th June, our teachers handed out the school report books and we’re pleased to say that all students passed and will move to higher class next semester!

Graduation Party

The Grade 12 students’ graduation ceremony, designed and organised by OSIS (EBPP Student Council) was held on 29th June at Ban Office for our 4 Manikaji graduates and 9 from our other schools. Key activities included the graduates’ presentations,individual poems and songs and great live music performed by students from Manikaji and our other schools. This is their first step toward success.

Extra-curricular EMpower and Girl EMpowerment Photovoices

In addition to their academic subjects, all high school students continued with their EMpower (The Emerging Markets Foundation) sponsored extra-curricular Life Skills and leadership courses PLUS an additional nine months “Girl EMpowher” collaborative program by EBPP and Photovoices International for all our high school girls! This powerful program enables all the girls’ voices to be heard through photographs and interviews with parents, neighbours, community leaders, etc. of issues they wish to bring to government attention. On 10^th June, after extensive preparations, video recording and practicing presentations, our girls presented a portrait of issues existing in their 6 hamlets, both offline and online, in Kubu sub-district office hall to a broad audience including local/regional government official from each agency and hope to get positive follow-up from government.

Staple Food Supplements:

To prevent student going hungry during thislengthy pandemic, EBPP has distributed nutritious food packages monthly to all students and their families’ since May 2020 and will continue until their economic situation improves.

Thanks once again to you, our donors, who continue supporting us through GlobalGiving, enabling our students to continue learning at school.