By Christopher Drake | Co-founder
The Lilliput World Pre-school Montessori Education in Central Java – November 2023 update
Two-gether We Grow!
An African proverb teaches us that “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together” and this is surely our experience at The Lilliput World. While it is our wonderful teachers who are at the front line of our activities, providing loving education to our young students and nurturing their hearts and minds, we know that we are not alone and that we could not do this alone. It is a team effort and we express again our heartfelt thanks to our caring and thoughtful donors for their support, knowing that this helps make our work possible. Thank you one and all!
Togetherness was also very much in our thinking when, on 20th September 2023, we celebrated our second anniversary with the theme “Two-gether We Grow!” Much has happened since we welcomed our first eight pioneering students and we now have a full-house of about sixty toddlers and pre-schoolers, including local village children whose education is fully supported. So it was with great happiness and excitement that teachers, parents and friends came “two-gether” for a day of celebration and appreciation to all who have been part of our journey so far. We also reflected both on our achievements and on areas where we are still learning and can improve and as children sang birthday songs a miniature globe was carried through the gathering reminding us of the place of our little world, with its warm and happy community, in the world as a whole. Traditional yellow rice was an important part of the celebrations, along with tasty cakes, sweets and other snacks kindly made by parents.
Last year we were delighted to have our first intern, Ayu (from Bali), and a highlight of this summer was the internships of Sean and Ida, joining us from the USA and Hong Kong. Ida is now working full-time as a teacher in Hong Kong while Sean carries on with his studies at university in New York. Teachers and students alike – and parents too! – were all thrilled to have them and it was fantastic to see how they settled in and quickly became a part of the Lilliput family, sharing their experiences and helping out with classes; we look forward to welcoming you back soon!
Parents continue to be an integral part of school life and we’ve continued with Parents’ Group meetings and activities, which are well-attended with enthusiastic participation.
Other activities during the past few months included Independence Day celebrations in August with a traditional flag ceremony to mark Indonesia’s 78th anniversary of independence followed by games, singing and dances during a potluck party for students, teachers and parents. Then in October we had a wonderful afternoon of celebrations for National Culture Day. Teachers worked late to create a beautiful display of clothing, carving, art, craftwork and other items typical of some of the many different ethnic groups spread across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands. The excitement and engagement of parents was stunning, and they not only made special dishes from different parts of the country but also wore a variety of ethnic costumes and clothing, as did the children. They all looked spectacular and groups of parents, teachers and students put on dance and musical performances throughout the afternoon, interspersed with performances by music students from the State University of Yogyakarta, introducing us to different ethnic traditional music.
In between special occasions such as these, daily classes and life at school have continued well and as a new school we are constantly looking out for ways to ensure our philosophy and actions are aligned and that we keep learning and improving as we go along. We are most grateful for your partnership as we continue to move forward we hope that we can continue to be blessed with your support. If you are able to, we would be most grateful for any donations you can offer on GlobalGiving’s special Fundraising Day of Giving Tuesday; this will start at midnight in Washington DC, USA, Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 28th November 2023 and end on the same day at 11.59 p.m. EST. We are making this special request as GlobalGiving will distribute bonus funds on donations made that day via our page at https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/loving-pre-school-education-in-java-indonesia/.
Thank you everyone for your love and care in supporting us during these first two years!
With gratitude and best wishes from all of us at Yayasan Taman Cipta Karya Nusantara.
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