Empowering local community as well as producing recycled products from anorganic waste are the choices of a group of students of YSU for their Students’ Creativity Programs for Community Services. Recycling anorganic waste has been the most preferable choice when it comes to reducing the effects of the waste to the environment and providing the local community with opportunities for additional income has been beneficial in terms of developing their creativity and contributing to the local community.

The majority of the people in Banjarsari, Samigaluh, Kulon Progo Yogyakarta are farm labours and many of the wives are not employed and do not contribute to the family income.

Such facts encouraged four students of YSU to provide a training for the people of Banjarsari, Samigaluh, Kulonprogo through a program called RAGA BASA (Kerajinan Tangan dari Banjarsari Samigaluh or Crafts from Banjarsari Samigaluh). They are Laila Wahyu Trimartanti (Mathematics Study Program), Nur Azmil Khoiroh, Berlian Puspa Hasanah (Mechatronics Engineering Study Program), and Mahuda Alhar Zuhri (Electrical Engineering Education Study Program).

As the team leader, Laila said that the RAGA BASA program tried to reduce waste by producing crafts from recycled products and organic matters such as banana stem and bamboo. She said that it aims at attracting the tourists to visit this place and buy these various souvenirs.

“We provide training to make pencil case, key case, flower vase, ashtray and tissue case for people here. All of these souvenirs were made from recycled products and organic matters to attract the tourists to come here and buy the souvenirs,” said Laila. (Witono)