Pekanbaru, Indonesia—The fourth leg of UPF-Indonesia’s national tour on character education took place in the western-most provinces of Indonesia.
Pekanbaru, Riau Province
The ninth program of UPF-Indonesia’s national tour, “Building Harmonious Families-Our Shared Responsibility,” was held on November 8, 2016 at the University of Riau (UNRI) in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province on the central eastern coast of Sumatra.
The event was organized by Dr. Welly Wirman, head of the Department of Communication Science at the university. The program was attended by 100 faculty and students from various universities in the area and was entirely conducted in English. After the participants made the Pure Love Pledge, Dr. Wirman and secretary general of UPF-Indonesia, Mr. Alfred Forno, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the university and UPF. Then UPF appointed the dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Science of the university, Mrs. Genny Gustina Sari, and Dr. Wirman, as Ambassadors for Peace.
Banda Aceh, Aceh Province
The next province UPF-Indonesia’s national tour visited was Aceh on the northwest tip of Sumatra Island. The province became known worldwide when the devastating tsunami struck the province in 2004, killing about 170,000 people. The following year, 2005, saw the end of three decades of violence when the Indonesian government signed a peace agreement with the Free Aceh Movement. However, both tragedies left large numbers of the population traumatized. Nevertheless, the warm-hearted hospitality and kindness of the Acehnese people throughout the tour was overwhelming.
The program, which took place on November 10, was co-hosted by the Faculty of Dakwah and Communications at the Islamic State University (UIN Ar-Raniry). Among the 170 participants were representatives from the governor’s office, the Indonesian Ministry of National Education (DIKNAS) and the Indonesian National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN), as well as faculty and students from various institutions. Although the vice rector for academic affairs of the university had to attend three events on the day of the program, he participated in the Opening Session, while the dean of the faculty, Dr. Kusumawati Hatta, stayed until the very end. After the UPF presentations, students asked very relevant and personal questions on how to apply the content of the lectures to their own lives. One female student commented that this was the very best seminar she ever attended.
The university has a community outreach program that requires all students to go to the villages affected by the violence. The dean of the university and the moderator of the event said they feel UPF’s family education programs can help address the post-conflict trauma people are still experiencing. UPF has agreed to conduct programs in the villages in collaboration with the university.