Cikadu cultivates a more trained community

CIKADU, Banten, West Java (JP): It has been three years since a group called the Group for Developing South Bantenese began a project to improve the living standards of the population in Cikadu Kampong, Tanjungjaya village, Pandeglang, West Java.

At that time, the group's focus was to support local people living at a new location in the Kampong. Their various activities included constructing basic infrastructure such as modest housing and nonphysical development on how to improve the people's socioeconomic condition.

In the process, the group's activities became more complicated in terms of quantity and quality. A more legalized, organized body was necessary, so the group evolved into the South Bantenese Development Foundation (SBDF).

The foundation's chairman, Purnomo S.P., said that SBDF had set programs and targets. "It was important to make us a nonprofit, independent organization, though the foundation was initiated by a company which develops a tourist project in the area called Tanjung Lesung," he said. SBDF was officially set up in August this year.

SBDF's activities now include education/vocation, health care, art and culture and socioeconomic improvement, he said.

"In art and culture, SBDF set a program nourishing and preserving the local (Banten) cultural aspects which have selling points. By mastering traditional art and cultural performances, the people can perform for tourists and earn additional income. In turn, Banten will be seen as going international," he said.

In health, SBDF has helped local people build toilets, introduced plants useful for medicines and established a clinic as well as providing paramedics and medicines, Purnomo said.

"To improve socioeconomic areas, we conduct several programs to make the people self-reliant and give them permanent incomes. These include establishing a traditional market, constructing roads, clean water access, cooking training and recognizing marketing and distribution," he said.

He said that a five-kilometer road had been constructed to link the kampong with other areas to open an economic route.

He said that the foundation had help the people resettled in a new residential location by providing land certificates to 450 families.

"Previously, they live widely separated from each other. We also extended financial aid of Rp 2 million (US$250) to each family. They can repay when they have permanent jobs," he said.

A member of the foundation's advisory board, F. Rahardi, said that previously the people had low income by working as farmers with poor traditional systems or as fishermen with simple tools.

"Some of them live by planting bananas, coconuts and rice. It's already the character of most Indonesians, however, that they are reluctant to work seriously at this as the soil is very fertile," he said.

He said that SBDF aimed to expand its programs to develop other kampongs in Tanjungjaya. "There are 352 villages in Pandeglang, 192 of which are categorized as underdeveloped."

SBDF's main barrier was a common one: lack of volunteers and funds.

"From the people's point of view, we are welcome. The local authority has also supported us. But we don't have much funds or personnel. Meanwhile, a lot of programs must be set up to develop the community," Rahardi said. (icn)