The Governor of Gorontalo, Ismail Pakaya, requested UGM’s students who take community service (KKN) in his area to assist the provincial government in alleviating poverty.
“Through this UGM’s KKN program, we hope that the villages where KKN is conducted can serve as a model for Gorontalo to overcome poverty,” he said.
He made this statement while welcoming 52 UGM students on June 26, 2023. Poverty alleviation efforts are crucial as Gorontalo is among the five poorest provinces in Indonesia.
Aside from poverty, Pakaya mentioned that stunting remains a significant problem in his region. The data currently only consists of statistics without the names and addresses of children with stunted growth.
“We also hope that the students can assist in data collection in the five villages where KKN is taking place,” he added.
The UGM KKN students, grouped into the Batudaa Pantai and Randangan Units, are placed in five villages: Olimoo’o, Lamu, Tontayuo, Sari Murni, and Banuroja.
Throughout the KKN program, these two units will collaborate with a team from Universitas Negeri Gorontalo (UNG) of 75 students from three faculties.
During the welcoming event, a Village Masterplan Workshop was conducted by HRC Caritra. In this workshop, UGM and UNG students were equipped with knowledge of village planning through masterplans and the formulation of village development programs.
The briefing also allowed UGM and UNG students to build relationships and practice discussions before deploying to the villages.
The UGM KKN students from the Batudaa Pantai Unit and the Randangan Unit were dispatched from UGM on June 23, 2023, and arrived in Gorontalo on June 25, 2023.
Their arrival was warmly welcomed by the Regional Management of Gadjah Mada Alumni Family (KAGAMA) at the Gorontalo City Mayor’s Office, attended by the Gorontalo City Mayor, City Secretary of Gorontalo, lecturers, and students participating in the UNG KKN program.
The reception also served as a podium for the Gorontalo City Government to express their hopes for the collaborative KKN between UGM and UNG.
Gorontalo City Mayor Marten Taha hopes the collaborative KKN program between UGM and UNG will continue. Moreover, he expects the KKN program to expand to other areas within Gorontalo City.
UGM’s KKN-PPM program, initiated in 1951, is a community service program aimed at promoting self-reliance and sustainably improving the welfare of society.
UGM undertakes this program as a commitment to assist the government in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in eradicating poverty in all its forms, ending hunger, promoting good health and well-being, and ensuring quality education.
Author: Ika
Photo: KKN students