Your Trash for our Books: Indonesian Library Creates Literacy from Litter

Founder of the waste library (Limbah Pustaka), Raden Roro Hendarti, 48, arranges books on a three-wheeler vehicle at the library in Muntang village, Purbalingga, Central Java province, Indonesia November 2, 2021. (Reuters)
Founder of the waste library (Limbah Pustaka), Raden Roro Hendarti, 48, arranges books on a three-wheeler vehicle at the library in Muntang village, Purbalingga, Central Java province, Indonesia November 2, 2021. (Reuters)
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Your Trash for our Books: Indonesian Library Creates Literacy from Litter

Founder of the waste library (Limbah Pustaka), Raden Roro Hendarti, 48, arranges books on a three-wheeler vehicle at the library in Muntang village, Purbalingga, Central Java province, Indonesia November 2, 2021. (Reuters)
Founder of the waste library (Limbah Pustaka), Raden Roro Hendarti, 48, arranges books on a three-wheeler vehicle at the library in Muntang village, Purbalingga, Central Java province, Indonesia November 2, 2021. (Reuters)

A librarian in Indonesia’s Java island is lending books to children in exchange for trash they collect in a novel way to clean up the environment and get the kids to read more.

Each weekday Raden Roro Hendarti rides her three-wheeler with books stacked up at the back for children in Muntang village to exchange for plastic cups, bags and other waste that she carries back.

She told Reuters she is helping inculcate reading in the kids as well make them aware of the environment. As soon as she shows up, little children, many accompanied by their mothers, surround her “Trash Library” and clamor for the books.

They are all carrying trash bags and Raden’s three-wheeler quickly fills up with them as the books fly out. She’s happy the kids are going to spend less time on online games as a result.

“Let us build a culture of literacy from young age to mitigate the harm of the online world,” Raden said. “We should also take care of our waste in order to fight climate change and to save the earth from trash,” Raden said.

She collects about 100 kg (220 lbs) of waste each week, which is then sorted out by her colleagues and sent for recycling or sold. She has a stock of 6,000 books to lend and wants to take the mobile service to neighboring areas as well.

Kevin Alamsyah, an avid 11-year-old reader, scours for waste lying in the village.

“When there is too much trash, our environment will become dirty and it’s not healthy. That’s why I look for trash to borrow a book,” he says.

Jiah Palupi, the head of the main public library in the area, said Raden’s work complemented their efforts to combat online gaming addiction among the youth and promote reading.

The literacy rate for above-15-year-olds in Indonesia is around 96 percent, but a September report by the World Bank warned that the pandemic will leave more than 80% of 15-year-olds below the minimum reading proficiency level identified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.



Fusion Between Culture and Modernity as Children Dance in Kenyan Refugee Camp

Young refugee children from the Acholi Dancers group rehearse their traditional dance at a Child-Friendly Space within the Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement in Turkana, Kenya, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Young refugee children from the Acholi Dancers group rehearse their traditional dance at a Child-Friendly Space within the Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement in Turkana, Kenya, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
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Fusion Between Culture and Modernity as Children Dance in Kenyan Refugee Camp

Young refugee children from the Acholi Dancers group rehearse their traditional dance at a Child-Friendly Space within the Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement in Turkana, Kenya, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Young refugee children from the Acholi Dancers group rehearse their traditional dance at a Child-Friendly Space within the Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement in Turkana, Kenya, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Beads of sweat drip from the faces of young girls and boys as they dance to the rhythm of traditional drums and open calabashes, while their peers watch them in awe.

These are refugee children, some who were born in one of Africa’s largest camps — Kakuma, located in northern Kenya, where more than 300,000 refugees’ livelihoods have been affected by funding cuts that have halved monthly food rations, The Associated Press said.

The children use the Acholi traditional dance as a distraction from hunger and have perfected a survival skill to skip lunches as they stretch their monthly food rations that are currently at 30% of the UN nutritional recommendation per person.

The Acholi people, mostly from Uganda and South Sudan, are among refugees who live in Kakuma camp, which was established in 1992 as a safe haven for people fleeing conflict from dozens of east African countries.

For a moment, the melodious sound of one of the refugee mothers stops the playground buzz of activity as dozens of children sit down to enjoy the traditional dance performance.

The colorful swings doting the community center at Kakuma’s Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement were donated by a Swiss organization, Terre des hommes, which still manages the playground aptly named “Furaha” — Swahili for Happiness.

But the happiness of these children isn't guaranteed now as funding cuts have affected operations here. Fewer resources and staff are available to engage the children and ensure their safety.

One of the dancers, Gladis Amwony, has lived in Kakuma for 8 years now. In recent years, she has started taking part in the Acholi traditional dances to keep her Ugandan roots alive.

The now 20-year-old doesn't imagine ever going back to Uganda and has no recollection of life in her home village.

“I’m happiest when I dance, I feel connected to my ancestors,” the soft-spoken Amwony says after her dance session.

While Amwony and her friends are looking for a cultural connection, just about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from their village in neighboring Kalobeyei Village 3, some boys are in touch with modernity.

The five boys have been practicing a one-of-a-kind dance where they mimic robots, complete with face masks that hide their human faces.

They make their sharp synchronized moves that they have been perfecting for months.

The boys will be part of performances that will be showcased during this year’s World Refugee Day, as an example of the talent and resilience that exists among the refugee community.

This younger generation of dancers make precision moves in a small hall with play and learning items stored in a cabinet that is branded with an American flag, an indication that it was donated by the U.S government.

Such donations are now scarce, with the United States having cut down on funding in March.

These cuts have affected operations here, with the future stardom hopes for these children dimming by the day.

The center, which previously featured daily programs such as taekwondo and ballet, may not be operational in a few months if the funding landscape remains as is.

“We are now reducing some of the activities because we are few. The staff are few and even per day we only have one staff remaining in the center and it is really hard for him/her to conduct 500 children,” said John Papa, a community officer for Terre des hommes in Kalobeyei Village 3.

These programs do more than entertain the children — they keep them away from issues such as child labor, abuse and crime which as a major concern for humanitarian organizations in Kakuma.

And as the children dance and play beneath the sweltering sun, the only hope is that these child friendly spaces remain operational for years.