(Reading, counting and writing assistance for children in Waidim and Kapatlap, Raja Ampat regency)

Discussing Raja Ampat usually describes an archipelago. It is true, because Raja Ampat, one of the regencies in West Papua province has 600-large-and-small islands covering an area of ​​59 thousand km2 of the sea and only 7,5 thousand km2 of land, however, only a few islands are inhabited by residents and most of the islands have no name. Based on the 2020 Population Census, the population of West Papua is 1.134.068, consisting of 597.128 men and 536.940 women.

The existence of the population spreading across the islands is a big challenge for the government, churches, and other institutions to serve and to assist the community for government administration, education, health, religion, and other fields. Transportation and communication facilities have not reached every island well, moreover if the sea condition is not friendly, then the islands will become isolated. These kinds of obstacles also occur in the field of education where early education and elementary schools are only in certain villages so that children from small islands have to stay near the school if they want to go to school because they cannot cross by boat every day due to limited costs. Things got worse during the pandemic, schools were suspended and the teaching and learning could not be done online because the internet signal was very limited and the children did not have gadgets.

This is the anxiety of the Multipicator of Stube HEMAT in Raja Ampat and some of the student activists when they see that children do not go to school and some are unable to read, to count, and to write. They just play, run around and partly help their parents in the garden and in the sea for fishing. Not much could be done, finally, the Multiplication of Stube HEMAT in Raja Ampat team designed Reading, Counting, and Writing (BaHiTus) assistance for children in several villages on Batanta and Salawati islands so that the children could continue to learn during the pandemic.

In its implementation, the BaHiTus program was only be held in two locations, Waidim village in Samate and Kapatlap village in North Salawati district on November 26 and 27, 2020. Rev. Grace Nanuru and Mince Inseruy, a teaching student of Unimuda, Sorong City during the church service activities in Waidim. They assisted two study groups which were divided into two groups, a small class consisting of seven children and an intermediate group consisting of fifteen children. Small class children learned on recognizing letters, pronouncing and arranging syllables, while teen-aged children learned to combine words, to read and to write. It is not easy to learn new things, incorrect in distinguishing letters dan miswriting, or missing words when reading because they were not focused and unfamiliar, but they looked so excited and happy to follow.

A positive response was expressed by the head of Waidim village, Abner Parajal, "This is a very good activity because the children can learn, not just keep playing because of the pandemic, schools are closed. I hope this activity can continue for the children in Waidim."

This support and attention is an encouragement for the Multiplication program of Stube HEMAT Multiplication in Raja Ampat to continue the activity in other villages and provide benefits to the local community through activities that Raja Ampat students can do for their hometown. (TRU).