Gemawan, in collaboration with HARAPA and Kitabisa, organized an educational assistance program titled “Tunas Scholarship for Future Guardians of the Earth: Together for Nature” on Sunday (November 3, 2024). The program provided support to ten students from four sub-districts in Mempawah Regency — Jungkat, Pinyuh, Mempawah Timur, and Sadaniang.
Recipients were selected from families whose parents are actively involved in forest and land management initiatives.
Education and Economic Resilience
Hermawansyah, a member of Gemawan’s Board, explained that during the organization’s community assistance work, they observed various challenges faced by rural communities, particularly in the economic sector, which directly impacts children’s access to education.
“The economic pressures experienced by farmers and fishers affect their ability to provide decent education for their children,” he said at Rumah Gesit Mempawah, West Kalimantan.
According to Wawan, as he is warmly called, government programs — though well-intentioned — often fall short of meeting the community’s real needs.
“Through this collaboration, we hope to provide insights to the government about what people truly need,” he added.
He emphasized that educational access is closely linked to household economic resilience.
“Future government programs should focus on addressing household economic issues, especially for farmers and fishers,” Wawan stated.
Bridging Gaps Between Policy and Reality
Through this scholarship, Gemawan aims to raise collective awareness of the real challenges communities face.
“We want to remind everyone that there’s often a gap between existing programs and people’s actual needs. Sometimes what communities aspire to is not reflected in government policies,” Wawan noted.
He also pointed out that even though there are formal planning forums like musrenbang (development planning meetings), grassroots aspirations often get diluted in the process.
“We hope this collaboration with Kitabisa.com can serve as a catalyst for creating synergy in designing more targeted and responsive programs,” he added.
Nurturing a Generation of Environmental Stewards
The scholarship targets youth at various educational levels — from junior and senior high school to university students — as a form of appreciation for their role in protecting the environment.
“The title of this initiative reflects our hope to inspire young people to embrace their responsibility for the sustainability and preservation of nature,” Wawan explained.
With a vision toward Indonesia Emas 2045, Wawan expressed optimism for the next generation.
“We want to ensure that future generations have a solid foundation to continue this struggle for a sustainable Indonesia,” he concluded with a smile.
Voices from the Beneficiaries
One of the scholarship recipients, Sahendra from Sadaniang Sub-district, expressed his gratitude to Gemawan.
“This scholarship has been a great help, and I promise to study harder. I hope Gemawan continues to succeed in its mission to protect the environment,” he said, representing his peers.
Sahendra, a student of Islamic Education at IAIN Pontianak, closed his remarks with hope that the program will inspire more young people to pursue education and environmental awareness hand in hand.