Depok-Besides studying in class, students have an important role in building a better society. One way to do this is by volunteering like Sirhan Muhammad Dehya Alqolbi, a student of the Public Relations study program, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia (UI). Through the Indonesia Project #2 organized by the Global Youth Ambassador, Sirhan became one of the volunteers who did service in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
By participating in this activity, Sirhan wants to have a direct impact on the community. Through the media as a volunteer, Sirhan makes the most of it to learn and implement the knowledge he has gained in class and outside the classroom. Together with 31 of his colleagues who also participated in the Projek Indonesia #2, Sirhan visited Ntaur Hamlet, Nuca Molas Village, Mules Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
(Photo: Sirhan Muhammad Dehya Alqolbi, Public Relations study program student)
In its implementation, the team was divided into four groups, namely education, health, environment, and tourism. Sirhan, who focuses on education, said that the condition of education there is quite concerning. On one small island, there is only one elementary school and two junior high schools. So, people who want to continue their education to a higher level must cross and live on the other side of the mainland.
“We try to invite elementary and junior high school students to learn various things, both exact sciences and hard skills and soft skills. We also coordinate with teachers, as well as representatives of tourism awareness groups (pokdarwis) there in organizing various activities,” said Sirhan.
He further explained that the journey to become a volunteer was also faced with various challenges. For example, communication constraints occurred because the village had limited access to telephone and internet networks. In addition, inviting elementary school children to participate in activities was quite a challenge for them. However, these challenges did not become obstacles to continue doing good and serving the community.
(Photo: Sirhan during a work program at an elementary school in Nuca Molas Village)
In addition to the limited access to education, Sirhan also said that some children in Nuca Molas Village have teeth that are not clean and healthy. Sirhan and his colleagues also distributed some equipment and socialization about Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (PHBS) to the surrounding community.
From the environmental side, there is a lot of garbage on the coast that is carried by the current from the mainland across. So, the team is trying to clean up the garbage. Finally, Nuca Molas Village which is located on a remote island has very beautiful natural wealth and can be used as a tourism sector.
(Photo: Sirhan with children from Nuca Molas Village)
Sirhan added that the volunteer experience that took place on January 5-12, 2025, was also supported by his abilities and competencies that were developed through learning on campus. “Since the preparation, I have implemented the stakeholder relations course on the work program that will be carried out. In addition, the framework created based on the principles of SWOT, PESO, and SMART, also helped me and the team in the field,” said Sirhan.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Yamin, one of the homeroom teachers at an elementary school in Nuca Molas Village, said that the presence of Sirhan and other delegates had many positive impacts on the surrounding environment. “We feel very satisfied and grateful for the activities that our friends do. In fact, the students also feel happy in every work program held by our friends,” said Yamin.
(Photo: Educational activities carried out by Sirhan and team in Nuca Molas Village)
As the Head of the Education Division, Sirhan hopes that teachers in Nuca Molas Village can continue to keep the children’s dreams coming true. “Hopefully all the work programs that we have done there will be a big picture so that they can open up their knowledge about the world more widely, various things that they should be able to taste at their age now, materials that they should already be familiar with, and dreams and hopes that can be increasingly achieved. Finally, I also hope that inclusivity towards other remote villages in Indonesia can be a concern for all parties, both the government, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, and industry, and other parties,” said Sirhan.
