[Unpad.ac.id, 22/04/2013] In a classroom in Pondok Pesantren Al Ma’ruf, Kampung Lembang, Mukapayung Village, Cililin Sub-district, West Bandung Regency in a Saturday (20/04) afternoon, children were singing happily even though their houses were buried due to landslide, causing 18 causualties. Guided by team from Research Center for Children Development and Gender (LP3GA) Unpad Research Center and Community Service (LPPM), the children sang Balonku, Pelangi, and Bintang Kecil.
Maulana (5), one of children, felt very excited at receiving gifts provided by team P3GA. He said that he was going to use the drawing pencils when he could go back to school. “I feel so happy to see them laugh. They welcome us very warmly,” said Nindy Metha Mayangswari, Unpad student participating in the event, which was also to commemorate Kartini Day on April 20. Similar response was also given by Pricilla Naidu, Unpad international student from the faculty of Dentistr.
According to Nina Djustiana, the head of P3GA LPPM Unpad, the children are vulnerable to post-disaster trauma. As an effort to keep them away from it, the team encouraged the children to express themselves in drawings. Hopefully, this would also get the children to keep going to school when the disaster is mitigated.
Besides entertaining the children, the team also organized free medical and dental care and donation of staple food packages and clothing to the landslide victims. “We are coordinating with Disaster Mitigation Body (BPB) of West Bandung Regency since they know to whom the donation should go to,” said Djustiana.
