They turn to say goodbye, and there’s a sea of smiling faces and waving hands. It’s Sunday 19th August, and the Pelita team is preparing to leave Dusun Sumurmual.

The head of the camp, Kapala Sahrusial, thanks them again for coming.

“You being here was like bringing light to the darkness”, she says.

That describes exactly the purpose of the team’s two-week visit.

The Pelita Pop Up School initiative is a program that was created in collaboration with Classroom of Hope and Good Neighbours Indonesia, in the wake of the recent devastating earthquakes, during which 400 schools were destroyed. The program’s purpose is to create safe, educational spaces for children and young women.

The Pop Up School is a place where children can come and forget, for a short while, the excruciating circumstances they are living in, and be immersed in educational activities, such as reading, music, sport, art, dance and much more.

While the teams arrive to deliver programs to the camps, they also collect data about the number of children, their ages, the teachers and the size of each camp. Later, a Pop Up School will be implemented into each of the 27 refugee camps in the Pemenang District. Each school will be equipped with all learning materials, equipment, a water filter and latrines, and will cost approximately $2000-$5000, depending on the number of students.

In order for a Pop Up School to be implemented, each camp must donate the land, and the teachers, and make a commitment to help run, monitor and evaluate the school for six months – or until they are able to move back into formal schooling.

Pelita hopes this model can be duplicated across the other four affected districts in north Lombok.

The Pelita Foundation has been running educational programs in south Lombok since 2009, and has a strong community-based presence – working with children and their families in teaching English, and offering leadership, life skills and early childhood programs.

In what has been an incredibly difficult time, it has been truly inspiring to see that, just below the surface, there is still so much joy and laughter. It’s a true testament to the power of education and the wonderful spirit of the people of Lombok.

If you would like to support the Pelita Pop Up School initiative, please feel free to make a donation.

Visit https://fundrazr.com/11Nx1f?ref=ab_06ga39bYmLh06ga39bYmLh

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