To Fight Against Limitations for Development (Participant’s reflection on Communication Skills training 2020 batch 3

I am Apronia Dai Duka, from Praibokul village, Matawai La Pawu district, East Sumba regency. Now I am studying in Nursing Diploma Program in Waingapu, East Sumba. Being able to study in college is a very valuable opportunity and a blessing from God because when I was in high school I never thought I would be able to continue my study in nursing. In the midst of worries that I would not be able to pass the test among other prospective students, I thought that they were intelligent while my ability was limited. In addition, my parents were incapability to support economically even limited to afford our daily needs. But, with sincerity, willingness to learn and my supportive parents, I can finally pass the admission test and study at college until the last part of the Diploma program.

The struggle has not yet been completed, even lately the outbreak of Covid-19 in every parts of the world including in East Sumba, led to new situations, such as social distancing, physical distancing and activities from home (work/study from home). For some people the regulation that requires work and learning from home were not a problem for those who like to be at home, but some others thought that it was boring, especially if it happen for a long time. The lectures were also conducted online, so I decided to return to my hometown even though I realized that there would be big challenges with this online lecture. Let me tell you, there is no electricity in my village so I have to walk about 4 miles back and forth to recharge my mobile phone, it is so exhausted because I did it every day. Also, I have to climb up the hill, under the sun for internet comnection, but at least I can help my parents working at the fields. However it turned out that the rules in the village are the same as in the city, the village official recommended people to stay at home.

Finally, I read information posted by Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta which conducted online training, so I was interested in registering for the Communication Skills training and finally I was chosen and I felt delighted. The difficulty of climbing up the hill to get internet connection became the idea for my video in this training. I participated in Stube-HEMAT Sumba training several times, but this time there was something different, which was done online. The training asked the participants to observe social problems around and made them into videos. My video can be watched in the channel  https://youtu.be/r-d2VrnDGIQ

This training is really challenging because I have to adjust the time difference between Sumba and Java (because there is a participant in the same group living in Malang, East Java). From morning to afternoon I went to the sub-district office to recharge my mobile phone and from afternoon to evening I climbed up the hill and sat under the sun for online video calls, but I felt so happy to have it. Stube HEMAT opened opportunity for me to meet people who motivate me and I gained new knowledge, and at the same time shared stories about the regions. At first I was not confident to talk, then I turned into brave enough to speak and did not hesitate to reveal the problem of gaps that exist around my hometown, like the condition of the damaged roads, difficulties in getting clean water, no electricity and no communication network coverage. This is the homework of the government and the people of East Sumba to improve regional progress.

Being successful is everyone's dream however people commonly want to succeed through an easy and instant way. I agree with the statement that success requires a process, not a protest. Yes, in order to get something you want, you need to struggle and it is not easy. For me, success does not matter the place and time. When and wherever I am if I have the spirit to learn and keep on learning, I certainly can. Thank you Stube HEMAT. (Apronia Dai Duka).