Life is a blessing from God. The people of Bunder village in Jatianom district, Klaten Regency, Central Java, use rainwater to help meet their needs. They catch rain drops in big buckets. The rainwater is then used to water plants and feed animals.
The Kandang Udan (which literally means rain catcher) community manages the rainwater in the village on the slope of Mount Merapi.
They make bamboo woven cages for their chicken. They avoid sand mining, because that activity harms the fertility of the soil.
During the 2017 Asian Youth Day gathering, when Catholic Youth from across the continent gathered in Yogyakarta, the village of Bunder was chosen to accommodate around 60 guests from Bangladesh, Nepal, Laos, South Korea, Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore and host country Indonesia from July 30 to Aug. 3.
The Kandang Udan community welcomed the participants by staging the Srawung Asih performance, which depicted how people should live in harmony and religious tolerance.
Pastor Antonius Budi Wihandono led a Eucharist mass for around 3,000 participants, prior to the performance. In his sermon, Budi noted that Asia was the most populous continent as well as very multicultural, multi-religious and poor. The pluralism of Asia had driven young Catholics within the continent to promote peace and harmony.
The Srawung Asih performance, which contains local culture, was expected to enthuse the young people about religious tolerance and teach them that life should be about giving, just like rain drops. [yan]