JAKARTA - People in the Enggros Traditional Village on the coast of Youtefa Bay, Papua, continue to face environmental problems due to the accumulation of garbage carried by the currents of the four large rivers around them. The accumulation of garbage from these river flows causes mangrove degradation and decreased fishing productivity by more than 40%, thus disrupting the food security of indigenous peoples which depend on coastal resources.
Since 2017, Enggros residents have received assistance through the Kampung program with Astra. The program targets four fields, namely health, education, the environment, and entrepreneurship. The goal is to strengthen family foundations, restore coastal ecosystems, and open up economic opportunities based on village potential.
The Kampung Certified Astra program aims to strengthen the strength of the growing community of Indonesian villages. Each village has the potential, resilience, and values that, if properly supported, can be a driving force for progress. We hope that this assistance will continue to provide broad benefits for the social and economic improvement of the community and become part of their journey towards a better future," said Astra President Director Djony Bunarto Tjondro to VOI, through a written message received, Saturday, November 29.
Real changes are starting to appear in Enggros, Jayapura. The strengthening given is not only in the form of physical assistance, but also building the capacity of residents to lead changes in their own villages.
One of the symbols of the change is Petronela Merauje. Petronela's small movement then developed into a broader movement and had an impact on various aspects of people's lives in Enggros Village.
Recovering Mangrove Forests, Keeping Youtefa Bay
The community is focusing efforts on restoring the traditional mangrove forest forest area of more than 20 hectares which is starting to be damaged by the accumulation of garbage and logging. Now, residents have seeded more than 8,000 mangrove seedlings that are being treated for 5 to 7 months before being replanted. Coastal clean routine activities have lowered the volume of garbage that accumulates in coastal areas by about 30% and have a direct impact on the availability of shells and crabs, which are again increasing and becoming a source of food and daily income for families.
More Decent Access To Learning For Enggros Children
Previously, learning facilities for PAUD and SD in Enggros were very limited. More than 70 PAUD and SD children do not have access to books, feasible study equipment, or routine literacy activities. Through support such as educational facilities, study equipment, reading books, and structured literacy activities are now present and help improve the quality of learning, including PAUD renovations.
Economic Empowerment
Women in Enggros Village are now starting to develop mangrove processing and recycling craft-based businesses. Prior to mentoring, most of the residents' businesses only provided very small daily income. The support of production and training tools made this small business grow more stable, with the average daily production of handicrafts and mangrove processing increasing by two to three times compared to before. The income of MSME actors also recorded an increase of up to 60% after assistance was carried out. One of the families even managed to develop their business into the first drinking water depot in Enggros, which now serves more than 100 customers and becomes the main source of income for the family.
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