From July 27 to August 4, 2024, the Student Exsecutive Board of the Faculty of Science and Technology (BEM FST) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) conducted the FST Village Empowerment Community Service Program (Pengmas Bina Desa) through a series of empowerment and training activities. This community service was carried out in Manduro Village, Manggung Gajah, Mojokerto. The activities were aimed at empowering the village community through learning and teaching activities, skill training, and various other initiatives designed to help the village become economically and socially independent.
In the field of social and education, we carried out the FST Mengajar program as a platform for the children of Manduro Village to access education through a demonstration-based learning model that enhances students’ skills. FST Mengajar took place for four days at two schools, SDN Manduro 2 and MI Miftahul Ulum, located in Dusun Buluresik. Other empowerment activities included health checks, which provided significant benefits, such as helping the community gain access to free medical care. This activity was conducted in collaboration with the Student Activity Unit (UKM) KSR-PMI Universitas Airlangga.
For the training activities, the Bina Desa team organized ecobrick and eco-enzyme training for children and the PKK (Family Welfare Program) members in Dusun Buluresik and Gajahmungkur. We chose ecobrick training because it has a significant impact on environmental cleanliness. Ecobrick uses plastic waste, including plastic bottles and food wrappers, which are processed into furniture like chairs. This activity helps reduce plastic waste and supports sustainable waste management. Eco-enzyme, on the other hand, is made from household kitchen waste, such as fruit and vegetable peels that are still usable. Eco-enzyme can later be used as an effective natural cleaner for household chores like cleaning floors, bathrooms, kitchens, and even laundry.
For about 10 days, we also focused on the environmental sector in Manduro Manggung Gajah Village, specifically in Dusun Buluresik and Gajah Mungkur. The unresolved waste and environmental problems prompted us to come up with a solution to reduce waste accumulation. Building a trash house became one of the solution steps to reduce the waste buildup. The large amounts of waste accumulating in the dry riverbed were the background for our construction of the trash house.
In the days that followed, while waiting for the construction of the Trash House, the committee distributed sacks to several households. These sacks were intended to temporarily store waste at each resident’s home before it was eventually placed in the Trash House. The waste would later be sorted into two categories: inorganic and organic waste. Inorganic waste such as plastic, paper, cardboard, and bottles would be collected separately, weighed, and then handed over to the waste collectors.
Another agenda for the Bina Desa committee was to hold dissemination sessions with local residents to educate the community about the importance of environmental preservation for sustainability. Additionally, these sessions served as a platform for us, the committee, to promote the Trash House program as a solution for waste disposal. Through this, we hoped the local community would directly support our goal of environmental conservation. This event was carried out in partnership with the local Karang Taruna (youth group), the Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDES), and the Mojokerto Environmental Agency (DLH). Through the Trash House program, we hope to address the waste management issues faced by the residents of Manduro Village and create a cleaner village. Although we faced many challenges during the execution process, we hope the Bina Desa activities will bring positive impact and benefit to the residents of Manduro Manggung Gajah Village, Mojokerto. We also hope that Manduro Village will become an example for other villages in achieving a waste-free community.
