Provision of Laptops for South Siberut State High School 01

On April 3, 2024, Pundi Amal Peduli Kasih Foundation distributed donations in the form of 5 laptops and 5 USB dongles to Rifa Susanti on Siberut Island. Rifa Susanti is a Physics teacher at South Siberut State High School 1 and the 5th participant of the 'Indosiar Border Heroes' project in the outermost island of Indonesia.

Kristin Filiana, principal of South Siberut State High School 01, said in her speech during the aid handover that, in 2018, Rifa Susanti took part in the National Level Teacher training program and returned to South Siberut as the only high school physics teacher in South Siberut who successfully attended this training. As a result, the principal was not surprised when, at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, a reporting team from Indosiar visited and requested to do a story on Rifa.

Rifa originally hailed from Bukittinggi and has family there. However, she volunteered herself to work on Siberut Island despite limited communication and transportation, as the island is 8 hours away from Padang Harbor and only accessible by boat. As a teacher working in the only state high school in South Siberut, one of the biggest challenges she has had to face is the lack of teaching equipment and facilities. Incapability to fulfill these needs can prove to be difficult, as the curriculum mandated by headquarters does not make exceptions to those without the means to acquire proper equipment and facilities. With this assistance, some of which were also given to the school, the teachers are now able to conduct activities smoothly. They are able to make presentations, utilize demonstration videos from social media, and so on. In 2020, the Ministry of Communication and Information provided Wi-Fi networks to South Siberut State High School 01 for smooth conduct of computer classes.

On behalf of the school, the principal expressed his gratitude for YPP Indosiar SCTV and the care they have shown to Rifa and advised fellow teachers at Siberut State High School 01 to also follow Rifa's example by developing their abilities as teachers in remote areas so as not to be discouraged, but to rather foster passion in improving education because education is the root of excellence and the country would not be able to grow into what it is now without educators.

The principal also touched on the enthusiasm of the students, especially those from the Mentawai tribe who live in the interiors of the island. Many of these students come and live in the homes of the principal or teachers with large living spaces. The students who stay work to help the principal or teachers in the fields or with housework to compensate for their living costs because their parents don't have the financial means to support them. Meanwhile, the distance between the school and their homes is about 8 hours by boat, and they only have the chance to return home during long school holidays.