Poverty and hunger are the two main global concerns and the United Nations in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goals 1 and 2 describe that by 2030, extreme poverty must be eradicated globally. In accordance with these aspirations, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia joined Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) in a proactive initiative in trying to improve the quality of people’s lives by creating opportunities for local communities in Sine Hamlet, Kalibatur Village, Kalidawir District, Tulungagung, seaside village place which is located about 200 km from Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.
The program, which was held from 21 January 2020 to 27 January 2020, involved undergraduate and graduate students consisting of 29 students from Universitas Airlangga and 7 international students. This collaborative project is fully supported by an academic team from Malaysia to strengthen collegiality between Indonesian and Malaysian academics. The academic team from Malaysia was represented by Assoc. Prof. Ts Norhaslinda Kamaruddin from the University of Technology MARA (UiTM), Dr. Shangeetha Ganesan from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Dr. Siti Rabiatull Aisha Idris from Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP).
The main objective of this international community service project is to empower local communities through entrepreneurship and tourism. Most local residents work as fishermen and their source of income basically depends on the ocean. If the weather is not favorable, especially during the rainy season, their source of income can be affected. Therefore, it is important to identify alternatives to ensure that their income is not compromised to ensure that the quality of life of certain communities is achieved.
The iCSR team coordinates the 2020 Sine Festival to promote the beauty of Sine Beach. Sine Beach is famous for having beautiful sunrise views because it faces east of the Indian Ocean. The beach stretches as a bay and is protected from high waves which makes it suitable for an evening walk with family and friends, surrounded by small local stalls selling local delicacies such as grilled calamari (grilled octopus), fresh coconut drinks and meatballs ( rice noodles with chicken stock). During the 2020 Sine Festival, locals and iCSR participants were entertained by local talents in the Sine Talent competition. All the hard work and efforts of the participants and the community paid off because some kiosks managed to get a net profit of up to Rp 2.5 million (USD 170).
Participants also held teaching and learning sessions with local children and shared their experiences as students and motivated children about the importance of education. For family heads, most of whom are fishermen, a short course on alternative energy using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as a substitute for diesel for fishing is also conducted and handled by experts from Indonesia’s state-owned oil and natural gas, PT. Pertamina. This is to promote green and green technology options for deep sea fishermen.
The participants were also given the task to make a promotional video for Sine Beach as one of the tourism promotion items. Teamwork, creativity, and technical skills in making videos are some of the soft skills acquired. In fact, many lessons were learned especially in appreciating cultural diversity and beliefs that might be different from those held by the participants. This program tries to expose participants to the realities of life so that they can see the world from the perspective of the local population and how to be grateful for the blessings obtained in this life.
This program received strong support from PT. Pertamina and local community companies such as Pesona Kita Tulungagung City, Jelajah Tulungagung, Pesona Indonesia, Kita Tulungagung, GenPITulungagung, Fishing Community of GuyubRukun Tulungagung and Tulungagung Tourism Office. The involvement of all sponsors in the event shows evidence of a strong partnership between industry, academia, and the community.
The next theme for iCSR will look to the goal of SDG 6, which is clean water and sanitation to raise awareness of the importance of being hygienic. It is hoped that international relations between UNAIR, UiTM, USM, and UMP as well as industry partners in such programs will continue to strengthen relations between community-academia and industry in improving the quality of life.
Prepared by: Assoc. Prof. Ts. Norhaslinda Kamaruddin
Edited by: Assoc. Geetha Subramaniam, Rekan, InQKA, UiTM Source : https://qswownews.com/uitm-malaysia-collaborates-with-unair-indonesia-for-achieving-sdgs/
