The little girl with a soft voice from a village in Garut near the mountains of West Java is only thirteen. Let's say her name is "Ayu" and like most children of farmers in rural areas, since childhood she has been 'familiar' with the fields. "Since I was little I have gone to the fields," he said, "My parents grow tobacco, I often help my parents and sometimes my neighbors too."

… Ayu said she often vomits every year when she harvests tobacco: “I vomit when I am too tired to harvest and transport tobacco leaves. My stomach is like... I can't explain; my mouth stinks. I threw up many times… Dad took me home. It happened when we were harvesting. The weather is hot, and I am very tired… It smells bad at harvest. I always throw up every time I harvest.”

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The story above is quoted from a Human Rights Watch report entitled “Harvest with Our Blood: The Dangers of Child Labor in Tobacco Farming in Indonesia” released in May 2016. Ironically, in the report Ayu is only one of many children forced to spend time outside activities. school by working in the tobacco farming sector. Ayu is only one of many children who have the potential to suffer from acute nicotine poisoning, Green Tobacco Sickness, and a number of health problems due to contact with chemical pesticides.

Even though the report was released 5 years ago, it does not mean that 'Ayu' and other children are no longer in the 'Child Labor' category today. Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has also exacerbated the situation. Research by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in mid-2020 said that the Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to increase the number of child laborers for the first time in 20 years.

Jember Regency with a tobacco land area of 13,391.83 ha is certainly not free from the issue of child labor, especially in the tobacco farming sector. A SEMERU Research Institute study in April 2020 found the prevalence of child labor in a number of villages in Jember Regency reached 14.31 percent. This figure is far above the prevalence of child labor at the national level (6.9 percent) and in Asia Pacific (9.3 percent).

These findings only indicate one thing: extra work and collaboration from many parties is needed to reduce the number of child labor, especially in the tobacco farming sector and to realize a Child Labor Free Indonesia by 2022.

Departing from this problem, Imaji Sociopreneur collaborated with PT. Universal Tempu Rejo launched a community empowerment program titled 'ALP Village' with the main objectives: reducing the number of child labor through interest and talent education (Imaji Academy), realizing community independence, especially tobacco farmers through mentoring MSMEs (Sociopreneur Community) and establishing a waste bank (Waste Bank). ) are carried out in a sustainable manner. The program, which started in June 2021, targets 7 villages in the north and south of Jember Regency, namely Slateng, Lembengan, Sabrang, Andongsari, Kesilir, Bagon, and Balung Lor villages.

Imaji Academy

We see that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education sector is quite serious. The most obvious impact is the increasing number of children dropping out of school and the prevalence of child labor, especially in the villages. Online learning causes children to have a lot of free time at home. On the other hand, not all parents have the time and capacity to accompany their children to study and play. Coupled with other factors such as economic, social, and cultural, the potential for children to drop out of school and enter the category of child labor will be even greater.

Through Imaji Academy, Imaji Sociopreneur is committed to taking part in overcoming the educational problems above. In collaboration with the MIMPI Indonesia Foundation, we offer an alternative education concept (interests and talents) for children aged 5-15 years with 3 excellent features: literacy, agriculture, and sociopreneur.

Starting from the process of mapping interests and talents, later the children will be accompanied regularly for 6 months by tutors who have skills in their fields. In addition, we also collaborate with social groups and education activists in each village to participate as 'study buddies' in the Imaji Academy program.

On the sidelines of feature material and practice, Imaji Academy also has a number of activities that support the learning of children's interests and talents. Namely, the establishment of a Reading Garden, an Educational Park as a means for children to learn natural and environmental sciences based on the diversity of local flora and fauna, the Traditional Sport Championship (Transport) event as a means of preserving local traditional games, and an exhibition of products and works entitled Imaji Creative Event (ICE).

Through Imaji Academy, we aspire to balance formal and non-formal education for children while preventing children from working in the tobacco farming sector. Because for us, children are the main asset of this nation and children are nothing but messages that we send to a time that we will never meet.

Sociopreneur Community

Economic and social factors have contributed to the increasing number of child laborers and school dropouts. Based on the SEMERU Research Institute's projections, the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to increasing the poverty rate to 12.4 percent in 2020. As a further impact, around 11 million children from vulnerable households have the potential to become child labourers.

To suppress the emergence of child labor due to the economic crush, Imaji Sociopreneur launched a social-based entrepreneurship mentoring program targeting the wives of farmers; mothers, and young people in the village. The focus of this program is to form and provide assistance to entrepreneurial groups so that they are able to optimize the potential of local products and absorb labor.