WatSan Action

Every year, the sixth graders at Emilie's school go on a field trip to learn about WatSan Action, a service organization in Jakarta. Emilie and her classmates headed out on this adventure last fall. After the trip, Emilie told us all about it in a typical 12-year old way. "It was good." So, when I was given the opportunity to join another JIS Peduli service trip to WatSan, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to find out more about WatSan, but I was also very interested to see what the "good" sixth grade field trip was all about. WatSan Action is a nonprofit organization developed by a JIS Alum. Their mission is to work with Indonesian kampungs to improve their water and sanitation conditions. We were able to visit one of the kampungs WatSan is currently working with to see these things in action. 

An integral part of the WatSan program is education. WatSan workers go to the kampung and teach the children about the importance of things like using clean water and washing their hands. The kids learn new hand washing songs and are taught how and when to wash their hands. WatSan also leaves a library in the community for the kids to use.  

Let's Wash Our Hands (As translated by me with my very limited Bahasa Indonesia)
Let's wash our hands before...
Let's wash our hands before...
Before we eat..
After using the restroom..
Let's wash our hands before..

Let's wash our hands before...
Let's wash our hands before...
Use clean water...
Clean with soap...
Then dry with a clean towel..

This guy was roaming around in the middle of the lesson

The kids are taught to wash their hands using this hand washing station.

After observing the classroom and singing a hand washing song with the kids, we were given the opportunity to walk through the kampung to see some of the other things WatSan has done. They have built two community bathrooms as well as a place for the members of the kampung to wash dishes and clothes.                  

Like most of the kampungs we have been to, this is a trash picker's community. The trash comes in on a daily basis and is originally sold for $2-$5USD per day. It is sorted and sold to various other groups that come. Anything that cannot be sold is burned. 

 

The people of Indonesia continue to amaze me with their hospitality. They are always so gracious. Even as we are traipsing through their community, we always receive warm welcomes and big smiles.