The Nehemia Team is supporting the development of kindergartens in cooperation with local churches, by training teachers and supplying educational resources and toys. West Kalimantan (part of Borneo) is one of the least literate provinces of Indonesia. The educational level is very low. Until they reach elementary school age, many children spend their time with their parents in the fields, with grandparents in the village, or are left to fend for themselves. It’s different in the village of Melingkat. Four women there had a vision for the children and started a play-group using the most basic of equipment. During a visit in 2010 the Nehemia Team offered help and organised training for the kindergarten teachers. They gathered teaching equipment and toys in line with Montessori principles and raised money to build a kindergarten building. Local church members did the construction work themselves and completed the building in 2012. Yet that was just the beginning. In the meantime the Nehemia Team, together with the local association of GPSK churches, began to develop kindergartens in 10 further villages. Besides providing training, the Nehemia Team helped with buying and making teaching resources. Eventually we want to train some of the teachers to train others, so that in the future our Indonesian colleagues can run the program independently.
