Yogyakarta, 29/11/2010
The compassion for Merapi survivors (29/11), which has done by KARINAKAS and Dinamika Edukasi Dasar (DED), has the aim to reduce children psychological burden. The psychological condition of the children in the post changed. One of the teacher of Tarakanita Elementary school, Trtitis, Happy Wijayanti, said that some of the survivor children tend to be hyperactive, difficult to be managed and some other becomes silent.
DED and KARINAKAS assist the students of Tarakanita Elementary school, Trtitis Purwobinangun Pakem Sleman who are in Rumah Relokasi Turgo Sudimoro Purwobinangun Pakem Sleman. There are 81 elementary students and 15 kindergarten students.
Tarakanita elementary school teachers coordinate and be active to visit the barracks to find the students of Tarakanita Elementary School, Tritis who are evacuated. Until now, they still cannot live normally because their village is in the forth zone (danger zone). They gathered in a place to study together. The teaching learning activities during their evacuation are held in the houses where the owners who voluntary give their place to be a class room. The students are spread in 2 barracks in Girikerto and Purwobinangun. Not all of the survivor children wear uniforms and shoes, but they are still eager to study because the final exam is waiting.
The psychosocial assistance is held in order to make the children not bored. They sing, play and study together. They sing and imitate animal sounds lead by Ms. Nana, DED, and the smiles are seen in their faces. They are very happy imitating the sound of snake, tiger, and monkey. The students of kindergarten make their own group to draw with crayon while the elementary school play body mapping. They draw one of their friend’s body in a paper. They observed which part of the body which is possibly affected by the Merapi eruption. For example nose which inhale volcanic dust, eye which can affected by the sand and dust and many more parts of the body which pointed by the students.
After doing those activities, the survivor children went to the barrack in hurry. This activity hopefully becomes a medicine to return the children happiness.
