������Ƶ

This community service was initiated by Aghniyya Rahmatillah (Interior Design, class of 2021), who serves as both the chair and founder of Meramu Mimpi, along with four other members, consisting of Pravda Mutiara (Visual Communication Design, class of 2021), Andi Winona Setya A (Interior Design, class of 2021), Lieviane Anastasya (Visual Communication Design, class of 2022), and Alya Nafiza H (Product Design, class of 2022). The team successfully secured funding from ITB’s Directorate of Student Affairs to realize their long-planned community service idea.

“Meramu Mimpi is a community that focuses on education, literacy, personal development, and community empowerment. Through the Melintas Renjana program, we aim to make a direct impact in underdeveloped, remote, and outermost regions,” said Aghniyya.

The program targeted two areas with distinct geographical and social challenges. In Repok Bijang Hamlet, the team organized reading classes, storytelling sessions, coloring, and drawing activities for children. In Sembalun Village, they continued similar activities while adding community outreach and empowerment initiatives.

In addition to literacy efforts, the team also educated residents on earthquake disaster mitigation, as Sembalun was one of the areas affected by the major 2018 earthquake. An earthquake evacuation drill was conducted directly at SDN (lit. Public elementary school) 3 Sembalun Bumbung.

Not only focused on education, the team also actively supported the local community in garlic farming, which is the main source of livelihood in the area. They introduced a prototype for agricultural product packaging design and conducted awareness sessions on waste separation and clean, healthy living practices.

^{Introduction of garden produce packaging prototype by the Meramu Mimpi team (Photo: Meramu Mimpi Team).}

One of the key programs of this activity was the creation of a children's book titled Melintas Renjana, specially crafted by the Meramu Mimpi team. The book contains explanations on earthquake disaster mitigation in a simple, illustrative, and child-friendly language. This book is the result of a collaboration with the Children’s Book Illustration Class (Bahasa: Kelas Ilustrasi Buku Anak, KIBA) at ITB, who also supported the publication process.

^{Book handover of “Melintas Renjana” at SDN 3 Sembalun Bumbung (Photo: Meramu Mimpi Team).}

"We hope this book can serve as a long-term educational medium. The content is tailored to the understanding of elementary school children, complete with engaging illustrations," explained Aghniyya.

The book was then distributed to the schools and documented by the team for further development purposes.

One of the most memorable aspects for the service team was the tremendous enthusiasm from the community. From children to adults, everyone was present and actively participated in the activities organized.

"From the moment we arrived for the survey until the activities took place, the residents were very welcoming. They even set up a post and provided everything we needed during our time there," said Aghniyya.

As a closing activity, the team also held a mural session on the school walls and an art therapy activity involving painting on canvas to help the children recover from trauma caused by the disaster.

This initiative received appreciation from various parties for its ability to synergize the three pillars of higher education, particularly in the aspect of community service. The hope is that similar activities can continue and inspire other students to reach out to areas in need.

"There are still many underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost areas that need to be reached. Let us, as students, start serving from the nearest areas and eventually reach the remote regions that need it," concluded Aghniyya

Reporter: Mufti Ali Farkhan (Oseanografi, 2021)
Translator: Indira Akmalia Hendri