Children’s Forum Supports Reading Corner in The Village
"Welcome to our reading corner," greeted several children in unison, their faces bright with smiles. That afternoon, the children in one of the most remote villages in South Central Timor Regency looked particularly cheerful. One of them said enthusiastically, "Kaka (sister/brother), we want to show you something!" He invited one of the visiting facilitators to see the reading corner they were so proud of.
The reading corner in the village was simple but deeply meaningful to the children. They had longed for a comfortable place to read for a long time. The children were aware that many of them were not yet fluent readers. They also knew that access to reading materials was very difficult. Yet, they had heard that a neighbouring village had successfully created a reading corner. If the children in the neighbouring village could do it, surely they could too.
The children were excited to transform one of the village's abandoned buildings into a neat and comfortable reading corner. On the door, they hung a piece of paper that read "Our Shared Reading Corner".
These children are part of a children’s group called the Pelita Oe Oh. This children's group is supported by GMIT in collaboration with Wahana Visi Indonesia, members and administrators of the Children's Forum, and the village community. The children's group reaches children who are still in primary education. Various activities in this group are facilitated by members and administrators of the Children's Forum in the village.
Murni, one of the Children's Forum members who acts as a peer mentor to her younger siblings, explained, "This reading corner is something they've longed for. Many children in the village are not yet fluent readers, and there's no accessible place to read. As an administrator of the Children's Forum, having been involved in many activities with WVI, and being a peer mentor, I felt challenged to do more by building this Shared Reading Corner."
With the help of Murni and other Children's Forum administrators, activities at the reading corner take place regularly. Shared reading sessions are held every Tuesday after school. In addition to reading books, the Children's Forum administrators also help mentor their younger siblings who are not yet fluent in reading or writing.
Although the reading corner has not been open for long, more and more children are attending each day, some even brought by their parents. Murni's great hope is that this reading corner can become a good platform. Besides being a place to read books, she also wants it to be a place to foster the interests and talents of the children in her village.
Author: Hery Kono (Field Facilitator from GMIT, South-Central Timor area programme implementing partner)
Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)
