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ID
ACTNews, BOGOR REGENCY – In the second week of December, Aksi Cepat Tanggap
(ACT) visited Cipadu Hamlet that is located within the Bogor Regency area. Previously,
the team had met Ade Muqodas, the only school in the hamlet named MI Mathla’ul
Anwar on Sunday (11/29) during a meeting with the Sahabat Guru Indonesia Forum.
At that time, the team heard the story of the poverty in which the village has
been suffering. Two weeks later, ACTNews visited the Cipadu Hamlet.
To get to the
hamlet, one must go through Cipanas area in Lebak Regency, Banten. It takes two
hours to get to Cipanas from Bogor City. From Cipanas, it takes another 30 to
60-minute journey through the rocky road.
"If you use
a car, this is the only way, but If you walk or ride a motorbike, there are
other ways, but many of the bridges along the route have been damaged by the
natural disasters earlier this year, "said Ade, Friday (12/11).
Cipadu Village
is located in the outer region of Bogor Regency adjacent to the Lebak Regency
of Banten Province. The hamlet is surrounded by forests and mountains,
isolating it from even other hamlets in the same village, such as the Cipandawa
Block where the disaster-hit families were relocated earlier this year. To get
there from CIpadu, one has to walk for one hour, and cross the river whose
water level often rises up when raining.
“When I went to
Cipandawa in late November to attend the Sahabat Guru Indonesia forum, I had to
take the car route through Cipanas although it took longer to get there. I was
scared to go through the other route because it had been raining the previous
night. I was also thinking about staying in Cipandawa the day before,” Ade
continued.
Also due to the isolated location, cellular signal barely reaches the hamlet. There are only a few spots where one can get proper cellular signal, including in MI Mathla’ul Anwar. However, if the locals have an urgent need to use the internet, they can use WiFi for IDR 3,000 per three hours.
Posyandu Seruni IX is the nearest health facility in Cipadu Village.
Unfortunately, this place has not been used for several months. (Masyarakat
Relawan Indonesia / Alris Yodi Utama)
Low education and poverty
Of the
approximately 150 families in Cipadu, only a few continue their education after
graduating from elementary school. There’s only one school available in the
area, and that is MI Mathla’ul Anwar. To continue their education, the local
residents have to go to Lebak Regency. Ade added that the locals don’t really
care about education.
“Most of the
children here are elementary school graduates. They don’t continue their
education because they usually start working outside the village after
graduating from elementary school. They usually come back here to start a
family. This cycle will always contunue, "said Ade Muqodas who is one of
four teachers at MI Mathla'ul Anwar. He himself is a university graduate that
graduated in 2020.
Cipadu villagers
commonly work as household assistants or informal workers. Those who stay in
the village usually work as motorbike taxi drivers, construction workers, or farmers.
They don’t make big money. For food, they rely on local plants that are
available. However, still, they need money for various other needs. []
