Indonesia adopts 'Kariton Klasrum' program

MANILA, Philippines - When Efren Peñaflorida and volunteers of the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) started pushing four-wheeled carts around Cavite City to spark children’s interest in learning through the Kariton Klasrum (K4), little did they expect that their initiative would catch the interest of the world and earn Peñaflorida a CNN Hero of the Year nod. Neither did they suppose that the mobile classrooms would be replicated in other parts of the country and even abroad.

Through a partnership with Wadah, an Indonesian non-profit organization that promotes the welfare of women and children, DTC will be bringing the Kariton Klasrum to the urban poor youths of Jakarta. Members of DTC recently visited Indonesia to conduct initial preparations for the replication of K4 in the Indonesian capital. DTC and Wadah target to bring K4 to seven sites in Jakarta, initially duplicating the program in three pilot areas this year. “Indonesia is struggling with the same problems that we have in the Philippines, most especially when it comes to unschooled kids, illegal settlers and drug dependents,” said Peñaflorida. “They also have their own version of kariton called kakilima that vendors use. Because Wadah specializes in helping women, we are thinking of providing mothers their own kariton so they can also start their own livelihood and help in providing their children education outside school.”

With the objective of transforming the lives of underprivileged children, K4 will be brought in communities where many child laborers, street children, and juvenile delinquents reside. Volunteers from Indonesia also flew to the Philippines to have hands-on training from DTC members in implementing the Kariton Klasrum. Even before it was brought to Indonesia, the Kariton Klasrum had also been adapted by the Department of Education (DepEd) in some communities in Metro Manila to reach out to out-of-school youth. Aside from Indonesia, other countries such as Egypt have also expressed interest in adopting the K4 program.