Young people do their bit to help the community<\/p>\n
As part of the World Literacy Day which falls on Wednesday, The
\nJakarta Post's Evi Mariani and Leony Aurora have been
\ninvestigating library facilities in the city. Today, we take a
\nlook at two libraries run by volunteers.<\/p>\n
What does a couple on Jl. Wijaya and the mosque youth group in
\nKebayoran Lama Ulama, both in South Jakarta, have in common? They
\nboth dedicate time and energy to promote reading habits in their
\nneighborhoods by setting up their own libraries.<\/p>\n
Syafe'i and Siti Sofiah, both 36, begun their patient and
\ntenacious battle at a time when most urban children would rather
\nspend their time with their console games.<\/p>\n
The couple runs a small library in the humble living room of
\ntheir home on Jl. Wijaya Timur VI.<\/p>\n
\"Our living room can accommodate up to 10 children. To attract
\nthem, I sometimes tell stories,\" Sofiah said.<\/p>\n
She and Syafe'i have learned that they must have patience.<\/p>\n
\"Children are easily distracted. They read, but they don't
\nalways get the idea. Sometimes, we ask them to write a brief
\nsummary of what they had just read,\" Sofiah said.<\/p>\n
\"We are happy to observe their conversion. First, they only
\npick thin books with a lot of pictures. But slowly, they come to
\nenjoy thicker books,\" Syafe'i added.<\/p>\n
Sofiah said the idea of the library came about when she
\nobserved that many children in her neighborhood would play in the
\nstreets before they go to their afternoon classes at school. Some
\nhad become addicted to Play Station.<\/p>\n
\"I talked to my husband and we agreed to set up the library in
\ncooperation with the South Jakarta Public Library,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The library lent them 200 books, and promised to rotate the
\ncollection.<\/p>\n
\"Most books from the public library are old, with mostly text
\nand few pictures,\" Syafe'i said. \"They don't appeal to children
\nalthough the content may be good.\"<\/p>\n
The couple have also received about 100 new books with
\npictures donated by Mizan, a Bandung-based book publisher where
\nSyafe'i works as a marketing officer.<\/p>\n
The library in North Kebayoran Lama, occupying a multipurpose
\nroom of Madrasah Nurul Qaba on Jl. Penanggiran Timur III, faces a
\nsimilar problem.<\/p>\n
Most books on the shelves are of a scientific or Islamic
\nnature. Two of them are titled Labor Law Symposium and Tagmemik
\nGrammar Study.<\/p>\n
\"Who in this neighborhood will read such books?\" asked Abdul
\nHadi, a resident there.<\/p>\n
Gustain Syakie, an active member of the local mosque youth
\norganization, said the books were loaned by the South Jakarta
\npublic library a few years back.<\/p>\n
The book-exchange mechanism has not worked. \"We have only
\nchanged the books once,\" said Syakie.<\/p>\n
There are not many novels and comics in the library and the
\nonly children's books available are short stories about Muslim
\nprophets donated by the Istiqlal Grand Mosque.<\/p>\n
\"We should have more children's books, as they are the ones
\nwho still hang around the neighborhood,\" said Abdul.<\/p>\n
There is never a shortage of visitors. Residents, from age
\nthree years and up, go there every night to recite the Koran.<\/p>\n
The library does not have any donor and gets its funding from
\nleftover money from celebrations, such as Isra Mi'raj (ascension
\nday of prophet Muhammad) or Independence Day.<\/p>\n
\"I hope that some people could donate used magazines or
\nnewspapers,\" he added. \"Can you?\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/young-people-do-their-bit-to-help-the-community-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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