Doing Interaction to Observe Sumba
Monday, 23 June 2014by adminstube
Follow-up Activities of Social Analysis Training
Field observation and direct interaction with people to gather information is one way to observe Sumba, as studied in the social analysis training held a few days ago. Based on the group divison done before, each group will work on a certain-chosen topic issue, as the follow up activity.
Many interesting things were found because what people thought in the beginning was not always the same with the actual ones. Next, interviews were conducted by participants, allowing them either to understand the real issue or the character of the respondents that were so diverse.
There was an interesting experience when a follow-up group in Inpres market did interviews because one of the participants, Elsy, got splashed water poured down by a person from one upper floor. It seemed as a means to make the hot weather cooling down. The reason that made us proud was their passion to meet and interact with Inpres market traders, although the traders sometimes refused to be interviewed realted with the unclear management of the market. Evensome of them refused to give comment on the problem because of fear.
One group that observed the farmers’ live in Mauliru found out that many farmers had mortgaged their fields to meet their immediate needs and had no way out except selling the mortgaged paddy. Generally they mortgaged their fields to rich people or government officials, thereby they easily released their fields at low prices just because they needed money to fulfill custom. Consequently, they might be laborers on their own lands.
A group that observed scavengers, stated that many of the scavengers were in early age. In that case, they lost their playing time to help their parents due to economic pressures. Throughout the investigation, the participants did not find any child scavengers who leave school, but they did not have time like other normal kids. Furthermore, this group gathered people who were concerned with education. They teached the little scavengers and gave reading books and some stationery.
The group which’s concerned with ‘Ijon’ found some facts that many people in Lewa depended on crops middlemen. Formerly, Lewa was supposed to be a food granary, however it become a food insecure region. It’s caused by people borrowing money or goods to the middleman had to pay 100% interest. This was one example that made people Lewa remains on poverty line.
The student observer groups tried to get accurate data to be presented in front of the members of the new house of representatives, as a program reference that can be implemented. Wish it be useful.