The people of Dayak Basaf dwells in the upstream of Jembayan river – a brook of Mahakam river. There are only 60 families, most of them have migrated because of their farming pattern. Their numbers have become smaller for the last 10 years. Thousands of acres of the forest that used to shelter their homes are now turn into transmigration area and coal mine.

Changes in Jembayan Upstream

The Dayak Basaf people are now live side by side with new comers from Java, Kutai and Banjar. Their openness through the daily interaction resulted assimilations in cultural and tradition, mostly through mix marriages. Their original culture has become a blurr, even most of these Dayak Basaf people only speak Bahasa Indonesia (national language) with Malay accent.

Time is passing by, season after season, and the Bakti Kindergarten becomes a witness of changes in Jumbayan upstream. After some time, Rosani left the village. The education of the children is past down to Paulina and new teachers come and go: Lestari, Naomiaa Ratusira, Noni… The persisten and perseverance of these young ladies have brought many breakthrough.

These young ladies have become a cross-culture bridge. They even challenged the people to leave the old worldview such as : education for boys are important than girls, teenage girls are to get married rather than to continue their education at school because after all they’d end up in the kitchen; children grow up according to the will of their parents, no need to seek out /appreciate their interest  or talents, afater all they’d get married and take care of the farm. And there are more of these that could kill a child’s future.

But now the paraents have changed the way they see their children, education and future. Thanks to the effort and struggles of these Bakti Kindergarten teachers, the children can now grow and develop in good physical and socio-emotional condition, with good character, have good spirit and dreams!

Eight Years Later At the school year of 2010/2011 there are 38 children actively learning in Bakti Integrated Kindergartena and they’re served by Miss Lestari (24) and Miss Arnau (28). Lestari was graduated from PESAT’s Kindergarten Teacher’s Training and she’s from Central Java. Miss Arnau is a native of Dayak Basafaa who was moved to help out when the kindergarten was short of teachers. She then took a 4 month’s course at the PESAT Kindergarten’s Teachers training and now she’s a teacher for grade A kindergarten and a fulltime tutor at Future Center.
THE FUTURE CENTER

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