To enhance its relevance to surrounding villages through rendering community development activities, BIOTROP organized a focused group discussion (FGD) with heads of sub-districts and village sector representatives from East and West Bogor Districts on Thursday, 07 September 2017, at its headquarter in Bogor.

For the first time, BIOTROP, with assistance from the Environmental Agency of West Java Province, attempted to assess the needs and help identify appropriate programs and activities to address the needs of prospective target villages in the abovementioned sub-districts, namely: Muarasari, Pakuan, Tajur, Sindangsari and Sindangrasa.

In opening the event, BIOTROP Director Dr Irdika Mansur explained that the Centre has been providing technical assistance and community development activities for almost two decades already by sharing the Centre’s expertise and technologies to various stakeholders.  In 2015, the Centre has initiated the SEAMEO STAR Village Program together with five other SEAMEO Centres in Indonesia to bring educational, health and nutrition, and livelihood developments in Cihideung Ilir village as the program site through capacity building activities. In 2016 during its 54th Governing Board Meeting, the Centre has officially launched itself as a Commmunity Learning Centre through the mayor of Bogor City. Dr Irdika also presented the program and activities of the Centre that the sub-districts and villages may benefit from.

The morning session consisted of presentation of the profiles and current status of the two sub-districts by their respective heads, namely: Mr H. Sujatmiko Baliarto, A.TD, MM, from South Bogor district and Mr Adi Novan S., STP, from East Bogor district. This was followed by an orientation on the Eco-Village Program of the Environmental Agency of West Java Province by Mr Lilik and Ms Dwi Darmayanti, MSi. The FDG proper started in the afternoon which focused on validating the needs and identifying development interventions suitable to the villages in the two sub-districts. Poor waste management, unemployment, and lack of livelihood skills were identified as the major issues in the five villages. The participants suggested that residents in their villages must receive training on household-level waste management and entrepreneurship development to address these issues.

BIOTROP would try to develop such programs in collaboration with the local governments of the two sub-districts as well as to strengthen linkage with the Eco-Village Program of West Java Province in the implementation process.