November 17, 2015 edition

Standing apart from other pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools), is the Abdurrahman bin Auf Pesantren, which not only teaches religion, it also tries to instill in their students self-reliance and confidence by training them in business and farming skills. "Our objective is to teach them to go beyond merely reading the Qur'an, but actually living life as according to the Holy Book," said Akbar Mahalli. He is the business manager of the Abdurrahman bin Auf Entrepreneurship and Agrobusiness Pesantren, popularly known with its acronym, Perwira AbA, located at Bulan village, in the subdistrict of Wonosari, Klaten regency, Central Java.
Today, about 40 percent of students who attended the school from 2000 to 2015, or about 350 of them, are successful entrepreneurs. "Sigit, one of our graduates, owns a thriving toy-making business, with an outlay of Rp5 million a day," boasted Akbar. The success of Perwira AbA can also be seen in the awards it has won in various competitions. The school won first place at the Central Java Provincial Competition for Food Sustainability, a few years ago.

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More Outreach articles in other editions

November 10, 2015 edition

In the southern part of Jayapura, on Hamadi Beach, scores of teenagers divided into groups are engaged in three distinct activities. One of the groups was practising the catwalk, like runway models, while the other two practised pantomime and dancing. "Every Sunday from noon to sunset we explore and hone our talents in dancing, acting and modeling," Albertus Kelmas Kosu told Tempo two weeks ago.
Albertus is a member of Honai Art Studio's teaching staff. This 26-year-old man was initially a student at Honai, founded by Jefri Zeth Nendissa in 1992. Because of Albertus's potentials, he was assigned a teaching position. When Tempo came to visit, Albertus was teaching new, not-yet-named dance movements.

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November 3, 2015 edition

Cornhusking
Irvan Kolonas has founded a social enterprise that provides loans and technical assistance to corn farmers in Lampung. More than 2,600 farmers have signed up.

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October 27, 2015 edition

A large, neatly tied pile of burlap sacks sits at a cooperative office in Solok, West Sumatra. The aroma instantly gives away its contents coffee beans. In the backyard is an area reserved for drying.
Coffee plantations pepper the hillside of Danau Atas, which sits 1,200 meters above sea level. Syafrizal Rado Endah, 51, is a coffee farmer in the area, tilling more than 1,500 coffee plants. He said that at one point, his plants were so plentiful he could produce 50 kilograms of freshly picked Arabica coffee fruit every two weeks. "I sell them at Rp6,000 a kilogram," he said. All told, he earns about Rp 600,000 per month selling coffee.

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October 20, 2015 edition

A long drawn out dry season has led to serious cases of drought in many regions of Indonesia. The water levels of major rivers have dropped drastically, fields have baked dry, causing harvest failures everywhere. Severe water shortage has hit both rural areas and townships alike.
This serious problem, according to Mudjiadi, director-general of water resources at the public works and public housing ministry, cannot be managed in a sectoral manner. Technical solutions, such as building water-pipes, reservoirs and dams are not enough. The problem needs an integrated and comprehensive solution.

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October 13, 2015 edition

An End to Blast Fishing
Sarang Island residents started a coral farming group to save their damaged environment, abandoning blast fishing and the illegal coral trade.

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October 6, 2015 edition

Lisa Rumaikewi carefully took three brown threads and began braiding them, forming the start of a noken, the traditional Papua bag. Her house is normally empty during the day when her husband is at work and her three children are at school. Lisa said that is the best time to work on her noken. "The bag has to be meticulously crafted, only when I have free timethat's when I like to weave so I can focus on creating it with the best quality," said the 33-year-old woman.
In a month, she makes just one or two noken and about 100 traditional Papuan beaded accessories, such as necklaces and bracelets. She does not want to take too much time away from her husband and children. But even with her limited time, Lisa can earn about Rp300,000 a month.

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