KLIKHIJAU.com – Bantayo People's Education Center was inaugurated on Friday, April 25, 2024, in Bontula Hamlet, Bontula Village, Asparaga District, Gorontalo Regency. The inauguration was attended by village officials and representatives from civil society organizations, such as the Director of the Institute for Human and Ecological Studies (Inhides) and the Executive Director. WALHI Gorontalo. Bantayo was founded by the Bontula Lestari Women's Farmers Collective as a space for social, cultural, and economic activities for residents.
This facility was built with support from the Solidarity Fund Nusantara Foundation's Direct Funding Program, Cycle 3, 2024. The building is integrated with a fish pond, vegetable fields, a nursery for productive perennial plants, and a drying area for harvested produce. Its primary functions include a meeting room, a study area, a warehouse for agricultural supplies, and a gathering space for residents who have had difficulty interacting due to poor road access and the lack of electricity and cellular networks.
Executive Director WALHI Defri Sofyan, a resident of Gorontalo, described the establishment of Bantayo as a strategy by the farming community to strengthen solidarity and gather collective aspirations, not only for agricultural production but also to build shared awareness. Bontula Hamlet itself is located in the upper reaches of the Paguyaman River and directly borders the Nantu Wildlife Sanctuary, making it an ecologically important area.
“Bantayo Pendidikan Rakyat can be used as a meeting place, a place to study or even as a storage warehouse for agricultural equipment…” — Samiya Suraji, Coordinator of the Bontula Lestari Women Farmers Collective
Source: https://hibata.id/bantayo-pendidikan-rakyat-upaya-strategis-bagi-komunitas-petani-dusun-bontula/
