With the Maritime Foundation, Aruna Awakened the Learning Spirit of Coastal Children

Aruna was collaborating with the Maritime Foundation on a program to donate books and school supplies to children in coastal areas. Through this program, we successfully reached over 500 coastal children at Aruna’s operational points across the country.

The donation program was implemented regularly as part of Aruna’s commitment to enhancing the literacy of coastal children and preparing them to contribute to a sustainable future for the fishing industry. The goal was to create opportunities for coastal children to have a brighter future.

Improving Literacy of Coastal Children

Access to education and books remains a challenge for coastal children in Indonesia. In Papua, for example, only 36.1% of grade 3 elementary school students have adequate literacy skills. This indicates that there are still many coastal children who need assistance to improve their literacy skills.

Aruna recognized the importance of literacy for coastal children. Therefore, we were dedicated to implementing programs aiming to improve children’s interest in reading. By donating books on general knowledge, religion, and fiction, Aruna hoped to cultivate a fondness for reading among children, so they were encouraged to continue learning and exploring new things.

Currently, Aruna and the Maritime Foundation implemented a donation program of such in Aceh, Lampung, Central Java, East Java, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Papua. Aruna planned to continue this program at other Aruna operational points.

Preparing for the Sustainable Future of the Fishing Industry

Our goal was basically to prepare coastal children for a sustainable future in the fishing industry. By providing them with good literacy, we aimed to cultivate capable successors who could advance the fishing industry. With proper education, coastal children could become fishers and professional fisheries business actors with a deep understanding of marine and fisheries concepts, as well as adequate skills. This effort was expected to improve the coastal economy.

Aruna’s Commitment to the Education of Coastal Children

Utari Octavianty, the Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer of Aruna, emphasized the importance of developing good literacy skills to understand the concept of sustainability and its practical aspects. Aruna purposed to support coastal children in enhancing their enthusiasm for learning.

It is crucial to prepare coastal children for future leadership roles in the fishing industry, as they will play a significant role in managing Indonesia’s seas. Octavianty affirmed, “If not coastal children, who will pragmatically manage our seas in the future?”