This exciting news article comes from our new partner, SEE Learning (Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning) Indonesia.

Earlier this year, the team from SEE Learning Indonesia had the wonderful idea to establish a Tiny Forest at a local school in the Kelusa area. After much planning, the first phase of the Tiny Forest finally took place on the 18th of December!

The Global Tree Initiative is funding this Tiny Forest project, which will take place over the next months. The project is happening in three phases:

1st Phase: Land preparation and cleaning, acquiring the required tools and storage, and obtaining compost bins.

2nd Phase: Fencing, creating garden beds, irrigation, and collecting the soil and compost:

3rd Phase: Planting of seeds, plants, and trees.

An overview of the situation (as at 13 December)

Chelsea Detari, the Associate Director / Education Team Leader at SEE Learning, told us about their environmental challenges:

“We believe that this project is not only about planting trees, but also about cultivating compassion, strengthening community, and nurturing selflessness in the next generation.”

She goes on to explain that “Each day around 1:00 PM, the school principals from both schools have been forced to burn trash due to the lack of a proper waste-management solution. This is the area on the school grounds where the trash is burned:

This has led to ongoing plastic accumulation in the area, as not all trash is fully burned. The first phase of this project directly addresses that challenge. Where the trash is handled in both schools in Kelusa is currently separated by a physical border, a simple wall:

As part of Phase 1, with permission from both school principals, we will remove this boundary and combine the two schoolyards to create a shared space to prepare for the Tiny Forest.

At 11 am on December 18th, we will host the first workshop for students from both schools in collaboration with Eco Bali, where the students will learn:

• How to build and maintain compost systems
• How to recycle responsibly
• The long-term environmental benefits of sustainable waste practices

At SEE Learning Indonesia, we believe education of the mind is important, but education of the heart is just as essential. Through this initiative, we are committed to planting seeds of compassion, responsibility, and selflessness alongside the trees!”

Kicking off Phase 1 (as at 18 December)

An update from Chelsea:

“Today was a scorching hot day in Kelusa, even though the rainy season has already begun. Today marked the very first day of the Tiny Forest project. We were lucky to have a rain-free morning and early afternoon. We began the day with a workshop hosted by Eco Bali, where the children had the opportunity to learn about caring for the environment, recycling, and the impact that recycling has, both now and in the future.

We are working with two schools for this Tiny Forest project, involving a total of 200 children, so the workshop was divided into two separate sessions. After the workshops, we began building the compost system together. This required working side by side to dig deep into the soil to remove plastic that had accumulated over the past seven years. It was hard work, because there were layers and layers of plastic beneath the soil.

With so many hands supporting one another, teachers, students, and community members, it was a joyful experience filled with love. The children were completely fascinated by the compost system, and so were the teachers.

Officially, the waste management system from Eco Bali has been installed, and we are continuing to clean the school grounds, as there is still a lot of plastic hidden beneath the soil, so we are still in Phase 1.

We are entering a growth and learning season, one that will require gentle, consistent reminders to use the new bins and compost system properly. This is all part of the learning curve, and an important one. We understand that change doesn’t happen overnight. But we never give up! ”

Thank you so much, Chelsea, for this heartfelt project you, Gabor, and your team are leading! We are so excited about this development, and we are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with SEE Learning Indonesia. We wish you and the children a lot of joy and success with this project, and we look forward to seeing how this wonderful project develops!

We invite our global community to have a look at the SEE Learning Indonesia website, and learn about ways you can support this project. And, keep an eye on our website, Facebook, and Instagram pages, to see how this beautiful project unfolds.