Project Description
Year: 2023
Amount: €2,000
Location: Sorong
During a visit to Sorong, our project coordinator Irma Awoitauw met Desi Sentuf. Even before Irma arrived back in Jayapura, she already had sent Hapin a warm recommendation to support Desi’s volunteer organization. Desi and her colleagues from Papua GLD (it means something like ‘Towards a new generation of leaders for Papua’) think that the dysfunctional education system needs to be reevaluated.
Education in Papua does not match the environment and the child’s world of experience. Papua GLD does it completely differently: the child learns to ask questions, to think critically and to be aware of his or her role and responsibility towards the other. The school is no longer an island where you simply have to spend your compulsory hours, but an environment where you grow and can be seen. Of course, ordinary, formal school learning is taught as well. You simply need knowledge such as math and language. You need social and verbal skills to convince others to be careful with the environment and critical thinking to solve mutual problems peacefully. The fruits of this new child-centred education ultimately benefit communities and the entire society of Papua.

The activities of Papua GLD are mainly focused on street children of primary school age. But children who attend regular education also like to come to classes after school. Programs have also been developed for secondary school students (and their teachers!). For example, students are sent out to map libraries, historic places or monuments and report back to the teachers.
The well-organized, enthusiastic and motivated club of volunteers from Papua GLD does this work from the heart. Hapin decided to honor their request of € 2,000. It concerns the financing of a training week for the volunteers, who teach children in four different age groups. The money is used to pay for the rent of a building, the travel expenses of the participants and the purchase of teaching materials.