The chances are you would look twice if Nila Tanzil walked past you
he chances are you would look twice if Nila Tanzil walked past you.
On the day of her interview with The Jakarta Post, she sported a crisp white shirtdress with a slim belt clutching her tiny waist. And with a boyish hairdo crowning her toned physique, she is every inch a head-turning, sophisticated lady.
One Google search of her name, however, revealed that Nila is a hippie-spirited traveler on an extraordinary mission. Since 2009, Nila has been working hard to provide children in poverty-stricken villages across Flores the opportunity to learn through reading.
The 35-year-old is the brains behind Taman Bacaan Pelangi, a nonprofit social project that focuses on establishing children’s libraries. As of today, Taman Bacaan Pelangi has set up 17 libraries in Flores and one library in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
“Taman Bacaan Pelangi aims to encourage and nurture children’s interest in reading by providing access to good books. I believe reading is critical for a child’s education. Through reading, they will be able to broaden their horizons,” said Nila, who is currently the head of communications at the Putra Sampoerna Foundation.
An international relations graduate from Parahyangan University in Bandung, Nila has tried her hand at everything from public relations to bond trading.
The latter took her to Singapore, where she learned the ropes about financial trading from scratch. But, the hectic life of the island proved to be too much for the diving buff.
“I needed to rejuvenate after living and working in Singapore for awhile. So I decided to take a six-month holiday to Komodo Island, Flores, and Raja Ampat, Papua. The underwater world in these two regions is simply breathtaking,” said Nila, who also has a master’s degree in European communications studies from the University of Amsterdam.
After the long holiday, she admitted that she was reluctant to move back to Singapore. Fortunately, her former boss in Jakarta recommended her for a communications consultant position at The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
TNC is a leading conservation organization that has been working to protect ecological systems in more than 30 countries.
Founded in 1951, TNC has thus far managed to conserve more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of river.
“The job was right up my alley. That the job required me to be based in Labuan Bajo, Flores, was like icing on the cake! I couldn’t have asked for more — I could dive every other weekend!” she enthused.
“But there were times when I was too tired to dive. I would visit villages in remote areas when not diving. The trips I made to those villages, which were rife with poverty, were an eye-opening experience for me,” she said.
She was quick to point out that despite the lack of basic infrastructure and development, such as transportation and electricity, the villagers were innocently happy with their lives — perhaps because they didn’t know any better.
“While I understood that logistics and accessibility could be a problem in developing these villages, I couldn’t help but feel sad when I saw the condition of the schools there,” she said.
Never mind the fact that there are no bookstores or libraries. In some areas, Nila explained, there was only one school with one teacher. It isn’t uncommon to find children of various ages packed in the
same classroom, which definitely compromised the quality of the learning process.
“There’s this one school in Kukusan Island, which is about a one hour boat ride from Labuan Bajo. Perched atop a hill, the school had three functioning classrooms that catered to 40 children. I visited one of the classrooms, where there were only five tables and no blackboard. The teacher used a recycled wooden plank to write down notes,” she lamented.
While she may not be able to change the education system in Flores, she found she could provide a sustainable educational project that involved the community. With this in mind, she worked together with local communities and gathered their support to launch Taman Bacaan Pelangi.
“I wanted local communities to feel that they were a part of this project. I knew that I wasn’t going to live in Flores forever, therefore it was crucial for local people to ensure the continuity of this project. And the only way to impose that sense of belonging was to involve them every step of the way,” she explained.
“That is why I decided to set up Taman Bacaan Pelangi at the residents’ houses. Only two branches were set up at a school,” she added.
As for her part, she emailed her friends back in Jakarta to garner support. She bought 200 books in the capital, and with help of YachtAid Global, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the delivery of humanitarian, development and conservation aid to coastal communities worldwide, she shipped the books off to Flores.
She also managed to gain support from large corporations such as Coca-Cola, as well as concerned individuals, to donate books to Taman Bacaan Pelangi.
Today, there are approximately 10,000 books spread across 17 branches of Taman Bacaan Pelangi in Flores.
Evidently, her public relations skills came in handy.
“There are comic books, folktales, adventure stories as well as children’s encyclopedias. There are also coloring books for those who are unable to read yet. The point is that I want to cultivate children’s interest in reading,” she said.
Reading, Nila believes, will encourage children to dream of a better future. Never one to underestimate the power of dreams, she insisted that reading would open up a whole new world to the children of Flores.
“I have not heard any of the children I met there wanting to become an astronaut, pilot or doctor. A child’s dream is the beginning of a better future,” she said.
Apart from diving, Nila, who had a short stint as a travel show host, finds solace in visiting the road less traveled.
Last year, she spent a month in Myanmar. She also backpacked to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia before ending up in Thailand for yet another diving experience.
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