Accessing the early education stage might be a privilege for some people, including for the community lived by Mauk, Tangerang. Despite being only 52 KM away from Jakarta, the challenge to access better education remains. TK Daarul Khuldi was established in 2021 to provide early childhood education for children in Kedung Dalem Village. Thus the school does not have a dedicated building to accommodate day-to-day learning, the principal of the school transformed his house terrace to become a semi-permanent learning activities.
The space only consists of 2 classrooms, measuring 2.5 x 3 M each which is inadequate to accommodate 33 students. Furthermore, the learning activities sometimes must be relocated to the principal’s living room when it rains because of the roof and ceiling leaks. This year, in 2024, Happy Hearts Indonesia with the support from PT Lautan Luas Tbk rebuilt the school with 2 spacious classrooms and a decent toilet. Additionally, the school has contributed to the reduction of 5.3 tons of carbon emissions and recycled 2.2 tons of plastic waste since it’s using eco-brick to construct the new building.
Afterward, as part of our commitment to nurture the impact of our work, in August 2024, we introduced Waste Management Training (WMT) – aiming to improve waste handling practices at school. This challenge remains – prior to this intervention, the school found themselves in a struggle to understand waste management and face several issues. First and foremost, the school lacked an organized daily cleaning schedule, resulting in unclean environments and secondly the school had no waste separation since they only possessed one type of bin.
Following the training session, the school now has an organized daily cleaning schedule inclusively – thus the teachers and students are encouraged to cultivate a positive habit in maintaining cleanliness. Hereafter, the school introduced two types of bins and developed the habit to separate organic and inorganic waste. Yet, another challenge arises as the local residents still dump their waste in front of the school, and this significantly signifies a lack of awareness about waste management.
Therefore, Happy Hearts Indonesia, the School Representative and Local Community Unit Head (RT & RW) initiated a partnership to encourage local residents to participate in managing the dumping area. After an intense dialogue, the local residents were successfully persuaded to fence off the dumping area. The community also provided bins and carts in the area, making it easier for them to dispose of their waste properly. Furthermore, after educating the community on the detrimental health impacts of unmanaged waste, the principal gained agreement from local residents to collectively contribute a monthly fee of IDR 300.000, allowing local sanitation workers to pick up the waste every two days in a week.
“A big thank you to PT Lautan Luas, HHI, and the entire crew for providing invaluable support, both moral and material, especially through waste management training. Thank you for trusting us with the responsibility to address waste issues. Since the training, the school has been able to collaborate with the surrounding community to keep the school environment clean. Once again, thank you.” Huldi Firdaus said as Principal of TK Daarul Khuldi.”
The transformation of TK Daarul Khuldi is a powerful testament to the impact of collaboration, resilience, and community-driven solutions. With a new, sustainable school building, structured waste management practices, and the support of local residents, the school has become a model for sustainable change in early education. Together with PT Lautan Luas, HHI, and the dedicated community members, we are creating a cleaner, healthier, and more hopeful future for the children of Kedung Dalem Village. As TK Daarul Khuldi continues to grow and inspire, it shows that small actions, when united, can spark lasting change.
