On 23 November 2021, students of Sekolah Indonesia Den Haag (Indonesian School in The Hague/SIDH) and Herenweg School Wassenaar handed over the Climate Village Project built in Minecraft game application to the Ambassador of Indonesia to the Netherlands, Mayerfas, and the Climate Envoy of Netherlands, HRH Prince Jaime de Bourbon de Parme at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague.

The Climate Village Project was a collaboration between 14 SIDH students and 50 Herenweg School students, aged 10-14 years, from 16 September to 1 November 2021, with the support of the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague and the Indonesia Nederland Society. In Minecraft, the students' built climate adaptation and mitigation programs based on the situation in Malino that they identified through interviews with the villagers.

The handover of the Climate Village Project for Malino was done in the Launching and Webinar attended by 80 audiences, including the Government of Gowa Regent and people of Malino through an online platform.

At the handover, Ambassador Mayerfas stated that the Climate Village Project can be implemented in real life. “This Climate Village Project can be a good contribution to the Indonesian Government and people, including in Malino. The Indonesian Government has conducted the Climate Village Program since 2016 and built the village in more than two thousand locations. If implemented in Malino, this project will contribute to the achievement of the Indonesian Government’s target to build 20 thousand Climate Village in 2024,” explained Ambassador Mayerfas.

The Dutch Climate Envoy also welcomed the project. “The students in a creative and fun way find a solution for the world’s problem (climate change). The proposed solutions are in line with the problems faced in Malino, such as waste management. The Dutch Government is currently working with the Indonesian Government through the circular economy for waste management,” said Prince Jaime.

The member of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesia Nederland Society and former Dutch Foreign Minister, Bernard Bot, who witnessed the handover stated, “This project can stimulate and reach out to the policymakers. Hence, it would be good to integrate the project into the curriculum of primary education.”

The students build the Climate Village Project in 6 weeks addressing seven main problems in Malino, which are clean water, waste, food security, wildfire, deforestation, electricity, and climate-related disease. They proposed to build a clean water filter; a waste management system; a farming and farmer’s market; a river around the forest to prevent wildfire; tree plantation; hydroelectric and solar panels; and a hospital.

The SIDH and Herenweg School worked on the Climate Village Project as part of climate education learning and using the momentum of the meeting of COP 26 UNFCCC in Glasgow. (VOI)