By Lia Syafitri

PUTUSSIBAU (28/6) - A total of 1,644 textbooks donated by WWF-Indonesia were given to 10 elementary schools in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. Through cooperation with the Indonesia Mengajar Foundation, Project Leader Kapuas Hulu WWF-Indonesia West Kalimantan Program, Albertus Tjiu, handed over the books to the Coordinator of Indonesia Mengajar Batch IV at the Putussibau Office, Thursday (28/06).

The book donation was collected from the Borneo Festival 2012 event with the theme "Taking the Heart of Borneo Message to the City", which was held last April, in Jakarta. On that occasion, WWF-Indonesia also won a MURI record through the most book donations for conservation areas totaling 3,953 books. Furthermore, the collected books will be donated to a number of schools in the provinces of West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan, especially schools located around conservation areas.

The ten elementary schools in Kapuas Hulu Regency that received book donations include SDN 20 Sungai Putat, SDN 04 Kepala Gurung, SDN 06 Teluk Aur, SDN 27 Gudang Suai, SDN 17 Nanga Bungan, SDN 12 Semalah, SDN 08 Nanga Lauk, SDN 09 Nanga Lungu, SDN 05 PB Penai, and SDN 05 Landau Badai. The process of distributing books to students will be carried out by young teachers from the Indonesia Teaching Movement Foundation Batch IV who are on duty in Kapuas Hulu.

The young teachers expressed their gratitude for the assistance provided. "We are very grateful to the community members who have contributed to advancing education in Kalimantan. This makes us believe that the optimism of all of us towards the Indonesian nation is still there. The book collection and donation activity by the citizens of the capital city initiated by WWF is not impossible to inspire citizens in other cities. We hope that the spirit and optimism of the community towards Indonesia will not only be contagious, but maintained," said the Coordinator of Indonesia Mengajar IV, Cantika.

'A Year of Teaching, a Lifetime of Inspiring' is the motto of Indonesia Mengajar teachers. Indonesia Mengajar facilitates Young Teachers to live, live and learn from the local community for one year.

"We promise to utilize the donated books as much as possible in order to succeed in our dedication to education in the Kapuas Hulu Regency area. The existence of this assistance will greatly help the teaching and learning activities for the next year that we run," said Cantika.

Said by Project Leader Kapuas Hulu, WWF-Indonesia West Kalimantan Program, Albertus Tjiu, the effort to raise book donations through Borneo Festival is one of the ways WWF-Indonesia has done to arouse public sympathy for the world of education, especially for rural children in the Heart of Borneo.

"It is not easy to get learning package books and other reading books with limited conditions. And, the Indonesia Mengajar Program through its Young Teachers is one of the right bridges to distribute these donated books to school children who need them. We hope that this donation program can be maintained and the number of donated books will certainly increase, so that more and more students will have the opportunity to receive these textbooks," concluded Albert.