Natural disasters can devastate our lives and hope for a prosperous future. It is similar to what SDN 5 Gondang experienced in North Lombok. This school was established in 1984 with the noble mission to nurture young minds and to be the bridge for the people in the community to achieve a better life. Yet, as Indonesia is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world, in 2018, the school faced earthquakes where it left the infrastructure like classroom, teacher’s room, library and toilet in ruins.
In tackling the problem, SDN 5 Gondang initiated collaboration with the Environmental Agency. After a long discussion and negotiation, the decision is about to be taken which results in collective action to combat waste issues within the school. The collaboration between the school and environmental agency aimed to collect and accumulate waste from the school and dispose of it to the designated regional waste collection site. With only 35.000 per month from the initial agreement of 100.000, the school was able to effectively manage its waste.
The decision has been made since most of the school waste often accumulated and was burnt, where it caused environmental hazards, and was not always feasible particularly during the rainy season which can result in waste buildup.
The principal has strong emphasis on his words by saying that:
“Every school needs to take the initiative to cooperate with DINAS Lingkungan Hidup (The Environmental Agency) to deal with waste in schools, otherwise there will be an accumulation of waste in the school environment every day.” – Tirmidzi, Principal of SDN 5 Gondang.
Therefore, as the school embraced this transformative journey, we need to acknowledge and realize that individual action is needed to spark and nurture the spirit of sustainability and resiliency. This story embarks an endless journey to achieve a prosperous future and be the testament of the power of compassion, resilience and community spirit. Let’s join hands to build a brighter future for all!
