Saturday May 9 was a holiday for Indonesian schools to mark Buddhist Waisak Day.
Nevertheless, on that morning, scores of elementary school pupils on Pahawang island in Pesawaran regency still headed off to school.
But not for their regular lessons: The holiday was used as an opportunity for them to learn about the environment, but in a playful, fun and practical way.
The children who were part of this had joined the Children Care for the Environment (APL) project, and their plan for the day was to plant mangrove trees at the edge of beach in one corner of Pulau Pahawang village.
The children were dressed as they pleased, free of their school uniforms. The girls took bamboo sticks and plastic ropes to school, while the boys carried mangrove seedlings.
The children sat in orderly groups at the arrival of their environment teacher, a 20-year old man called Suhendro, who was dressed casually with sandals and a T-shirt. After he greeted the children, he asked them to join him in singing the song "Children Care for the Environment".
They didn't need to be asked twice. With spirit all the pupils sang:
Learning to play in a friendly way with nature
Build your soul afresh and be smart to save the environment
Build friendship and good relations
Behave honestly and care for the environment through the young generation
That is us - hi, hi - children who care for the environment!
The words of the song, written by Herza Yulianto, the director of Mitra Bentala, an environmental NGO working with coastal communities in the region, are more than just empty slogans.
For the past 12 years, that song has been deeply understood by the children of Pulau Pahawang village who have joined the APL. Every holiday, children who are APL members don't go on holidays outside the village but spend their time in the water and mud on the beach.
Song sung, it was time to get their hands dirty. Joyfully and cheerfully, the APL kids made their way along three-kilometer long pathway to the beach, heading down to the water in single file.
They stayed in high spirits, even as the mud and surf, which splashed up over their knees, wet their clothes, even those wearing shorts. Occasionally they sang the "Children Care for the Environment" song as they worked.
Suhendro said he received no payment for this work as environment teacher or adviser for the children. He also said he didn't mind, that he was happy just to see the APL children learn from the experience.
"The most important thing is that after they leave school, they will keep on loving the environment. I thank God that the results can already be seen. The mangroves surrounding Pahawang beach are well maintained," said Suhendro, an activist with Mitra Bentala.
"We plant for love of the environment and because they are school-age children, the future of the mangroves in Pahawang is assured."
The director of Mitra Bentala, Herza Yulianto, said that his group started to get involved in Pahawang island in 1997, when they began a campaign stressing the importance of looking after the natural potential of Pulau Pahawang village. A primary part of that environmental campaign was the preservation of the mangrove forests, which cover 141 hectares of the island.
"Since 1978, the damage to the mangrove forest and the coral ridge surrounding Pulau Pahawang escalated and is so terrifying," Herza said. "The damage to the mangrove forest was done by newcomers building shrimp ponds on the island."
The NGO started planting mangroves again in 1997 with the involvement of the villagers, including the children. Thanks to their efforts, there is now a new area of mangrove forest covering 30 hectares around Pulau Pahawang Besar (the Greater Pahawang Island) and Pulau Pahawang Kecil (the Lesser Pahawang Island).
Saldi, a fifth-grade elementary school student in Pulau Pahawang village, said he was happy that he could join the APL.
"Apart from learning about mangroves, I also can save our kampung from the threat of big waves," he said. "After I got active with the APL, I learned that mangrove trees are so important in maintaining the natural balance.
"I'm proud because I can take part in saving our village and our island," he added.
- JP/Oyos Saroso H.N.
