25 January 2007
ROTARY PROVIDES READING MATERIALS FOR CHILDREN IN SEMINYAK, BALI
by Rotarian Andrew Charles

In this, the third of a series of articles on the humanitarian projects undertaken by the Rotary Club of Bali – Seminyak (RCB-S), the focus is upon an exceptional plan to provide young children with a library of reading material containing up to 3,000 volumes. The library was opened in an unused room in one of the elementary schools in Seminyak (SD 1), which was refurbished and equipped from Rotary funds but with air-conditioning provided by a kind donor who isn’t even a member of the club.

Initially it was planned to obtain books recommended by the Badung Regency Library, which the RCB-S would then purchase. However, it was soon discovered that this well-stocked public library does not use the Dewey Decimal Classification System. Therefore, Charter President Patrick van Kampen, who started this project in 2004, with two other club members, approached Elsa Mahardika, an Indonesian librarian at a well-known National Plus School located in Sanur, for assistance. Over a six-month period, she generously shared her knowledge and her elementary school’s extensive book list. This included picture books, easy readers, novels and high-interest stories about family, community and the sciences.

Although the RCB-S is an English-speaking group, there was no desire to provide the elementary schools with an English-language library because the Club wanted to introduce the community children to quality Indonesian literature. The library was officially opened in August, 2005, fostering an opportunity for the children to access good quality books. The teachers at the schools are very excited by the fact that their pupils are now, more than ever, learning to love reading, improving their literacy rates and improving their study skills.

One of the nicer aspects of this project is that because it is local, it is easily accessible by all the members of the RCB-S and anyone is free to call in and see the happy and smiling children as they eagerly absorb the contents of book after book. The school principals, I Ketut Artha (SD 1) and I Ketut Patra (SD 2), have been supportive and have welcomed this addition to their schools’ facilities,

A Past President of the Club, Sarita Kaul, who has been a strong driving force in assisting with the setup of the library recently noted, "Students and teachers must be encouraged to visit the library regularly."

CP Patrick expressed his deep sense of satisfaction at being part of this project. A teacher by profession, he clearly understands the impact that good literature has on young learners and that the availability of quality books is an absolute key to improving the learning environment for children. He mentioned his and his business partner Ibu Tjok’s frustration in finding and ordering children’s library books written by Indonesian authors. Sadly, well over 80 % of the current 1,200 books purchased to date are translations from the works of Western authors. It should be noted that that staff at the Gramedia Book Shop in Discovery Kartika Plaza Mall, Tuban, have been extremely helpful in assisting with the selection of books recently purchased.

Some of the books in the library have come from private individuals and they include some second-hand volumes but this is not a problem if they are in good condition. Any readers of this article who may have some unwanted Indonesian children’s books might like to think about donating them to the project as they would be very gratefully received.

The school library is really just the first phase of a more ambitious project and it is hoped that once sufficient funds have been acquired, a Mobile Library, or Bookmobile, will be purchased in order to take library books to Elementary School children in less developed areas in Bali; particularly those who do not have access to an adequate school library.

To implement this phase in Bali, a second-hand pick-up truck will be purchased and then modified to enable boxes of books to be loaded and unloaded easily at each school.  A teacher from each participating school will be selected to be responsible for recording the books borrowed and returned every two weeks.  The Bookmobile will operate two to three days a week visiting two or three Elementary Schools per day in remote areas of Bali. However, at the present time, insufficient finds are available, so it could be a long time before this target is achieved. A Mobile Library has already been in operation since 1996 in Semarang, Central Java. This project was initiated by the Rotary Club of Semarang – Kunthi.

A frequently asked question is ‘How does Rotary identify where its help is needed?’ In the case of the libraries, several members of the RCB-S visited a number of Elementary Schools and spoke to their Principals about the need for a Library and Bookmobile.  The responses indicated that the schools in the Seminyak area do not have separate ‘Western style’ libraries and confirmed that schools in remote areas have fewer resources at their disposal and would greatly benefit from the services of a Mobile Library.

The RCB-S is currently in the process of raising the necessary funds required to finance this project via Matching Grants from Rotary International in cooperation with other Rotary Clubs and/or Rotary Districts around the world.  Private Individuals and Company donations are also being solicited for the day-to-day running costs, such as paying the part-time librarian.

For further information on this or any other RCB-S projects, please contact the Club President: president@rotaryseminyak.org.