Ganjar Pranowo, the Chair of the Central Board of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Alumni Family (Kagama), visited the UGM Community Service Program (KKN PPM) site in Kampung Lalang Village, Tanjung Tiram District, Batu Bara Regency, North Sumatra, Tuesday, Jul. 30, 2024.
During this visit, Chair Pranowo was accompanied by Batu Bara Regent Heri Wahyudi and the Chair of Kagama North Sumatra, Mulianta Sitepu.
During the visit, Ganjar met KKN-PPM UGM students in Kampung Lalang Village and participated in applying eco-enzymes to the village’s ditches.
Creating eco-enzymes solves the problem of ditches becoming breeding grounds for mosquito larvae, as the area still experiences malaria endemics. Currently, more than five residents are afflicted with dengue fever.
Pranowo praised the effort to produce eco-enzymes and appreciated students’ work in cleaning land overgrown with weeds.
The weeds were then processed into paper, which the children used for learning and drawing.
“I appreciate what the students have done to address the issues in the community. If there are problems and you cannot solve them, report them to the local government or UGM,” said Pranowo.
The Kagama Chair hopes that the community’s application of appropriate technology will continue to improve, even if it takes time.
“If it’s not finished, please note it so that students in the next period can come back here to continue the program,” he requested.
Aqil Rafi Aljauzia, the team coordinator, was the first student Chair Pranowo called upon to present the challenges faced during the KKN.
Aljauzia mentioned that the main issues in Lalang Village are waste sorting and management, strengthening human resources, and improving community health.
“We conducted education on inorganic waste management for children so they know that small items like bottles can be turned into crafts. We also worked on innovations such as eco-enzymes to help clean the water to prevent pollution,” explained the student of the Social and Welfare Development program.
Salman, another KKN student from the Forest Management program at Vocational College (SV UGM), mentioned that one solution to the waste problem is processing waste from weeds.
If not processed and burned, these weeds could lead to forest fires. Thus, the KKN team made paper from the weeds.
“We used a simple method: blending the weeds and then drying them,” he said.
Pranowo noted the weed paper’s usefulness. It can be used to create items such as tissue holders and packaging for aromatherapy products.
Dr. Rustamadji, Director of Community Service, stated that deploying KKN PPM UGM students is expected to develop the potential they find on-site with the knowledge gained from their studies.
“We want students to develop something new and learn from the community in managing existing issues and finding solutions,” explained Dr. Rustamadji.
The field supervisor (DPL) for the team, Dr. Widya Nayati, mentioned that the target of the KKN PPM activities in Kampung Lalang is to make the area malaria-free.
Dr. Nayati explained several programs, including eco-enzyme production, creating aromatherapy, making mosquito-catching devices, anti-theft alarms, and human resource development.
“We aim for the area to be clean, with managed ditches and waste, hoping it will become malaria-free,” she added.
Regent Heri Wahyudi explained that this KKN program in Batu Bara involves about 25 students from 7 faculties and one vocational College.
He hopes that the presence of students in Batu Bara will significantly benefit the rural community.
Author: Lintang
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang