In our increasingly digitized world we find ourselves enjoying “smart” technologies in our daily lives: smart watches monitoring our health, smart homes increasing our personal comfort and smart cities mitigating traffic jams, not to mention the hope that one day driverless cars will provide more safety and convenience on the roads. Not only are we seeing ‘smart technology’ for personal use but we also now have what we call ‘smart factories’.
It’s hard to overestimate the positive impact of sports on young people. Sport impacts youth cognitively, emotionally, socially, and physically. Through participation on a safe and healthy team, youth learn life skills and develop character traits that will assist them when dealing with challenging seasons of life in an urban environment. Over many months, team members also grow in decision-making skills, goal setting, self-confidence, and leadership.
Mrs. Sira has had 14 children. Over the years, Bethany and other SEEDS workers have treated them for fevers, intestinal diseases, broken bones, and other emergencies. It is difficult for the Sira family to feed so many on the small income common to sand dredging villages, so the healthcare program also provides aid in nutrition. Mrs. Sira was reluctant to seek any care at first, but gradually gained confidence in the team as SEEDS workers built trusting relationships with the parents and children.
Since Independence Day (17th August 2018), Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia, has had Asian Games fever. All across the capital, banners and posters of support, and wishes for success decorated gateways, storefronts, and city walls. Even roads were adorned with street art.
Understanding the culture that we are serving is crucial to know how to apply solutions that will be embraced by local communities rather than rejected because of a foreign approach to real life problems.
The soccer World Cup in Russia has finished but play continues for young men and women in Jakarta, Indonesia, where SEEDS partner Yayasan Pendar Pagi (YPP) has established a sports and leadership program. More than 40 young people from Kalianyar, West Jakarta, attend weekly training sessions coached by community volunteer Nurmansyah and former professional player Emeka.
One of the main problems with most community development projects is that when the outside/foreign help leaves, the project usually ends. This is why it is crucial that any development project is ‘owned’ by the community themselves. If members of communities want to see change happen, they will step up and take responsibility to make it happen. In Thailand many projects are started, but not many endure the long haul and in the end the people are left without any improvement. So what is the benefit of outside help at all?
Rapid development within the ASEAN community has prompted governments and academics institutions alike to push their educators to be able to participate in the global discourse of teaching and research, invariably requiring the use of the defacto franca lingua of English. Despite some of the significant hurdles facing these professionals in upgrading their communicative abilities, a number in the State Islamic University of Sultan Syarif Kassim (Riau, Indonesia) are seeing success due in part to the motivation and skills equipping provided through a SEEDS supported initiative.
Is it a myth that fishing communities are poor? If not, what is it that is stopping households in fishing communities escaping poverty? And what can be done to speed up this ‘poverty-escaping’ process?
These are questions that one SEEDS worker has been grappling with for many years. Following hundreds of interviews with fishers and their families in 25 fishing villages, SEEDS worker Dr. Richard Stanford has published his findings in a new book.
The English Zone started as a place for Indonesian young people to practice English by participating in lively discussion groups, daunting public speaking sessions, and challenging pronunciation practice. While that’s still true, what the English Zone has become is an overwhelmingly supportive community.