UGM sent another 30 students to Girikerto village in Sine district, Ngawi regency (East Java) for community service programme on 26 December 2018
Later on 5 and 7 January 2019, the students presented their programme at the Ngawi Research and Development Agency, attended by representatives from the Agency and others such as Tourism and Cooperatives agencies, village chiefs, and local social activists.
The Ngawi local government has reiterated their support for the development of Girikerto as a tourism village through aid scheme. This would come in the form of road signs, photo spots, tourism promotion, and facilitator for potential investors.
The Tourism Agency has expressed their support to give mentoring and training related to tourism such as standardisation of outbound facilities.
“Since the emergence of the tourism village, the Research and Development agency has encouraged all local authorities to give access to the village and conduct events centred in the tourism village,” said Riri, representative from the Research and Development agency.
Meanwhile, the Cooperatives and SMEs Agency will give training in food processing that is based on local agriculture. In the previous student community service programme, the students had explored the local dish from the areas of Mt. Lawu. Now the students propose to produce local bottled water.
The chief of the Sine village emphasised the intention of the local authorities for developing their village. He expected them to be more active in terms of funding. “Village funding needs to be discussed further by us,” said Budi.
After the meeting, the UGM students along with the local government representatives made further coordination to work together and visit the village. The local Tourism Agency expressed their readiness to take part in the tourism festival done by the students in Girikerto on Sunday(27/1).