Service Learning Community UPH shared happiness at YKAKI

Service Learning Community is a student community in UPH which has a passion to serve and conduct an activity based on humanitarian. This activity is a method of learning and building student characteristics, as well as a form of community service based on Tri Dharma highest education institution. This activity was held around Jabodetabek with the theme of ?Lets have Some Fun? and outside Jabodetabek with the theme of ?Heart to Serve?. Each semester there are always different community members and generally they are students who just recently start their beginning semester. This year they were about 40 students from batch of 2013 who joined this community.

?The activity that we conducted is not based on subjects learned in class, but purposely done for social activity. As the name itself ?Service Learning Communication? suggests that its purpose is for learning as well as serving. Therefore, they will be able learn how to make an activity program, starts from having a survey at the location, inventory for the program requirements, budget, activities to be done with each division of tasks, and execution. They will learn about values of life and to share with others who are in need through this activity,? explained Kusuma Wardhani, Coordinator of Service Learning Community Project.

On Tuesday, 15th April, there were about 30ish students and staff of Service Learning Department who visited Yayasan Kasih Anak Kanker Indonesia (YKAKI) which is located at Jalan Percetakan Negara, Jakarta Pusat. At this location, SLC conducted an activity with the theme of ?Let?s have some fun? to share the happiness with children with cancer disease that lives at YKAKI.

Yayasan Kasih Anak Kanker Indonesia (YKAKI) is a non-government organization (NGO) that is formed base on love, empathy for children with cancer disease as well as their parents. YKAKI program is created to provide education access while going through the healing process and supporting the parents of the children. Currently, they are about 25 children with cancer disease aged from 6 months to 14 years old that live in YKAKI. At this place, they are not only just living in a comfortable place while receive medical treatment, but also they get access to education, playground, socialization of cancer prevention on children for parents, transportation to the hospital, and medical assistance.

In supporting YKAKI activity, UPH students joined SLC to share happiness through activities that are entertaining such as singing, storytelling, and playing around. UPH students socialize together with children with cancer disease as they carrying them around, taking them on their lap, as well as making conversation just to know what their hopes are and what their feelings are. They are singing their selected songs together. Even though they are physically ill, but they are also talented and smart. They were full of joy which could be seen on their happy faces.

Furthermore, parents were also be given mentoring activity in group discussion to talk about their experience and good or bad times that the parents have felt towards their children with cancer disease, so that they can be supportive toward each other with the right understanding to deal with it.

?This activity was important for parents to be stronger and tougher. Because there are two possibilities of parents in making their effort either their children are healing or dying?, explained Lesminingtyas, MTh MK as a councellor of this discussion session.