In 2016, ars86care foundation had inaugurated two new Kindergartens both are located in Candirejo Village. During this opportunity, ars86care foundation hosted a Volunteerin Event called Voluntourism. Located in Candirejo Village, Cuelo Distrik, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta on the 6th of August.This event was attended by 44 volunteers and 11 of our local partner in Yogyakarta. The concept behind “Voluntourism” is to combine volunteering event with tourism in context with nature of Gunung Kidul. The morning of the event, all volunteers travel to Candirejo Village from Yogyakarta and was greeted cheerfully by all the children in school.

The day starts with an indoor activity such as recycle art and craft where all volunteers and children create and art product of a piggy bank made from plastic bottles, and window garment from recycle cloth. This event is continued by several outdoor activities where all volunteers are involved in planting trees, making water absorption holes, painting classroom’s desks and chairs, painting several playground equipments, painting trash bin, and making a vertical garden. These outdoor activities are in line to the foundation’s mission to introduce green living to the school community and village. Where since 2015, kindergartens are under ars86care foundation are completed with green features on them which include solar panel system, water absorption holes, vertical garden and rain water reservoir. Within the Gunug Kidul region there are total four schools established this way, with two on-going projects.

As a tradition, in each Volunteering Event all participants are welcome to have their hand printed in paint to cover one side of the wall within the school. This tradition allow the donors and the beneficiaries to have their mark on the school and also to get them come together as a symbol of togetherness.After the end of the activities at the school, all participants leave for Indrayanti beach to enjoy music, barbeque and relax in the midst of nature’s beauty in Gunung Kidul. This activity is part of combining the concept between volunteering event and tourism. Where participants not only actively work during the volunteering event but also get to enjoy the beauty of the place they helped. The success of this event is mainly because the active involvement of our Local Partner in Yogyakarta and participations form the local community in the village.

AS