By: Natalia Trita Agnika

Every child has the right to education. Children in rural areas far from educational facilities are no exception. They have the right to acquire knowledge as a provision for a better future. The way of teaching children in rural areas is different from children in urban areas who receive more information. In delivering materials and information to these children, a special approach is needed.

WWF-Indonesia as the oldest conservation organization in Indonesia sees the importance of providing education for children, especially conservation education. One of them is conservation education for children around Cendrawasih Bay National Park (TNTC), Papua. As children living in an area with high biodiversity, they need to be made aware of the wealth they have, its benefits and threats, so that there will be a deep love and concern for protecting it.

Through the conservation vessel KM Gurano Bintang, the facilitator team provides environmental education and nutritional assistance for children in villages around TNTC. To support educational activities and attract children's interest, the ship is equipped with a library and multimedia tools. The cheerful nuances typical of children are presented through the pictures of the creativity of the winners of the children's drawing competition during the inauguration of the ship on April 20, 2007.

KM Gurano Bintang is actually a conservation vessel that conducts surveillance of marine areas and Whale Shark populations. So it's no wonder that the researchers on board have also been involved in teaching children about the environment, especially the marine environment and ways to conserve it. Casandra Tania is one of the Marine Species Officers who has taught children. With her knowledge and experience as a whale shark researcher, the woman who is familiarly called Cassie shares knowledge about whale sharks, protected biota, and non-destructive fishery activities.

The children were very enthusiastic about the presence of the Gurano Bintang team. They were eager to join the Gurano Bintang learning group. Sometimes they don't want to get off the boat or go back to their respective homes and are eager to join all the activities carried out by the facilitators. Seeing the children excited and cheerful when visiting KM Gurano Bintang made her very happy. One of her most memorable experiences was when children from Syabes Village, Teluk Wondama Regency came to the ship by swimming 200-500 meters to be able to play and learn on KM Gurano Bintang. Their enthusiasm shows that the children have a positive interest in the activities that take place on the colorfully painted ship. "Hopefully they will become children who care about the sea and can become agents of change in their respective villages," hoped Casandra Tania.

In line with the educational mission of KM. Gurano Bintang's educational mission to build community awareness of the preservation of their biological wealth and form a new generation that has an insight into nature and is moved to voluntarily protect it, the KM Gurano Bintang Outreach Team also visits villages to reach children who live in remote villages in Manokwari Regency, Teluk Wondama Regency, Nabire Regency, and Waropen and Yapen Regencies.

The team from KM Gurano Bintang visits the coastal villages around TNTC every four months and sometimes every two months depending on the needs of the program. During each trip, the Outreach Team invites children in the villages they visit to learn through interesting games. The games have been modified in such a way that they contain messages about the environment, especially knowledge about marine life and how to preserve it. One group (around 20 people) will be led by two environmental education facilitators. The facilitator team is a combination of staff from the Education Office, the Environmental Agency, extension workers from the Marine and Fisheries Office, the Nabire and Wondama Bay Women's Empowerment and Family Planning Agency, extension workers from BBTNTC, and WWF-Indonesia. The facilitator team will be divided into three groups, namely the education team for school-age children, teacher assistance, and education for adults (fishermen's mothers and fathers).

Usually, the visit will be closed with the distribution of nutrition to children, such as mung bean milk porridge and simple medical treatment and examination. The presence of KM Gurano Bintang has provided tangible benefits for the education and nutritional improvement of children in the interior of TNTC. Feronika Manohas, Community Outreach and Development Coordinator in the TNTC area shared that parents were very excited to prepare their children for school when they learned that the team from Gurano Bintang would visit them. "Hopefully the Gurano Bintang trip can influence the education model in the villages and increase parents' awareness to prioritize education for their children," said Feronika.

On November 20, the world celebrates Universal Children's Day, a momentum to commemorate and reflect on what we have done for children in the world, and especially children in Indonesia. You can take a real action as a form of concern for children in the TNTC area to get the right to education by making a donation through www.wwf.or.id/donate. Your donation helps sustain research and education activities at KM Gurano Bintang. Happy Universal Children's Day.