ACTNews, BOGOR REGENCY – The teachers were excited when they were on their way to Bogor City to Cipendawa Block in Cileuksa Village, Sukajaya District, Bogor Regency, Sunday (29/11). This is their first visit to Cipendawa Block where the residents of Rancanangka village were relocated following floods and landslides in early 2020. The teachers were very excited despite having to go through winding road to get to Cipendawa. They were very much interested to meet their fellow honorary teachers in Cileuksa.

Upon arrival in Cipandawa, teachers from MI Al-Hidayah, the only elementary school in Cipandawa, welcomed their guests warmly as if they were meeting their old friends. They conversed about teaching and education with their newly arrived colleagues.

The Sahabat Guru Indonesia Forum aims to gather the beneficiaries of the Sahabat Guru Indonesia program. Not only that they received assistance from Global Zakat – ACT, they have also been inspired to help fellow teachers in need with their own resources.

In the forum held in Cipandawa, food packages were handed over to the teachers at MI Al-Hidayah as an expression of gratitude and sympathy for others. During the forum, these teachers also shered their experiences of having to adjust to the new teaching habits due to the pandemic.

"Teachers in Cileuksa have been facing obstacles in holding the distant classes. It's still difficult for them to make ends meet, let alone to use gadgets. Even if they do have cellphones, the cellular signal often doesn’t reach this area,” said Ade Muqodas, a teacher from Cipadu Hamlet, Cileuksa Village who shared his teaching experience during the pandemic to the forum.

Photo taken in front of MI Al-Hidayah, Cileuksa, located close to Cipandawa Block which is a relocation area for landslide victims in Rancanangka Hamlet, Cileuksa Village, Sukajaya District, Bogor. (ACTNews / Eko Ramdani)

Cileuksa Village is adjacent to Lebak Regency in Banten Province. In early 2020, the massive landslides isolated Cileuksa and several neighboring villages. Now, the residents are slowly rebuilding their lives, but they still lack a number of basic facilities, including educational facilities.

Khisnul Khasanah from Global Zakat – ACT Bogor Program Department said that this forum is not the first to be held by Global Zakat – ACT. A similar forum was held several months ago, attended by honorary teachers from Greater Bogor area. In that forum, a social service was held for orphans in Tenjolaya area.

"In the future, other acts of kindness will be initiated out of the Sahabat Guru Indonesia Forum. And Global Zakat will continue to support such activities,” said Khisnul, Sunday (11/29).

The Sahabat Guru Indonesia Forum was born out of the Sahabat Guru Indonesia program which provides living expenses for honorary and underprivileged teachers throughout Indonesia. The program, has been running for 1 year, and has benefitted thousands of teachers. This program is a tangible manifestation of community zakat funds channeled through Global Zakat. []