Less than a year after being established, the Transformational Community Development (TCD) Polewali Community Activity Center has been bustling with various programs. The main focus of routine activities is literacy and numeracy development for school-age children and religious studies for teenagers.

This program was initially initiated by a community member named Ihsan*. He has now invited Taufig* from a separate village cluster to collaborate in developing a community activity center. They collaborate on program planning, infrastructure preparation, and funding.

The Oting Community Activity Center is now equipped with various facilities, including reading materials, learning equipment, and a sports field. They are assisted by community youth in the technical operations of activities. These youth help organize the daily agenda, volunteer as teachers, and manage the program’s administration. In addition to the youth, the community activity center also involves professional teachers in the learning programs for school-age children and teenagers.

To ensure the sustainability of the learning program, a fee system has been implemented. Students pay a small amount monthly to fund the center. Ihsan has instituted this system based on principles learned from TCD material. He believes this fee system will instill a sense of ownership and responsibility in students and their parents. This is expected to motivate students to participate in the entire learning process at the community center and to take responsibility for maintaining and caring for the center. Through this fee system, each teacher also receives a monthly incentive.

*For the purpose of safety and wellbeing, “Ihsan” and “Taufig”, are pseudonyms for the individuals mentioned in this project.

Thank you,

Written by Didi, GHNI Partner