by: Nurkhayati Aida
One dusk at the end of wet January, I was accompanied by voice of a qari (a male who recites the Quran with proper rules of recitation (tajwid)) from loudspeakers of a mosque. On a porch of neatly lined chambers, I waited for a santriwati who was completing her daily ritual. We agreed on an appointment that afternoon, as the drizzle was soaking soil and releasing a soothing aroma.
A young woman came out of a room wearing a brick red dress while spreading smile, she greeted me with a handshake. The teenager is Dania Roichana – a santriwati from Darul Aitam Darussalam pesantren, Banyuwangi – who is familiarly called Dania, someone who has made an appointment with me. Dania is one of a few tens of students in East Java (Jombang, Lamongan, Kediri, Banyuwangi) who receive benefits directly from the Sexual and Reproductive Health Education (abbreviated as PKRS) program. After asking each other news and a bit of preliminary talk, our discussion flowed to Dania’s current activities.
Encountering Reproductive Health Issues
A teenager who was born from the couple of Sholahuddin and Alfiyah, from beginning was already active in several school organizations. In the year 2012/ 2013 or exactly at the first grade of Madrasah Aliyah, she was entrusted to be the leader of Red Cross Youth. Stepping on the second grade in Madrasah Aliyah or one year later, she was trusted to be the Chair of Intra School Students Organization (OSIS). In between her busy times in organizations, one afternoon a senior asked her to join a training on reproductive health organized by Rahima.
Attracted by her senior invitation, Dania finally got to know what is called by Adolescent Reproductive Health. The first session during training she got bored. “Why, it’s only like this,” she said with a thick Javanese accent as she chuckled telling about her first reaction. But after carefully joining follow-up sessions, she felt that this is the information teenagers needed.
During three-days training, Dania assured herself that other teenagers should also get what she gets. Therefore, after returning from the training, Dania along with 3 friends who also participated in the training discussed what they should do to disseminate the information they have got. They consulted with the two Ustadz instructors (who also participated in similar training for teachers) to discuss what materials they should share in very limited time. Based on the agreement, the four santri then designed a mini training. They gathered delegates of classes to attend their adolescent reproductive health training.
Mimesis
The four teenagers jointly financed the course of mini training, they collected some of the per diem money they earned from the training with Rahima. “Yes it’s a day training. It’s not fun if there is no drink and snack, “Dania explained. Not only that, the four santri also made a small notebook which they distributed to the mini training participants. After the mini training, the sessions from these four friends are always awaited by their peers when they follow the series of reproductive health training held by Rahima.
As she looked, Dania again assured me that other teenagers besides her had to get true and comprehensive reproductive health information “Teenagers should not live in the myths that lead them to harmful actions in the future”. Dania was not Don Quixote, a creature of Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) who created a mimesis (imitation process) for what he got. Dania realizes that correct information about reproductive health for teenagers is important. Not only finished on the issue of reproductive health alone, for Dania the most important thing is the problem of adolescents themselves. That adolescents are the ones who connecting the future, but often overlooked.
And now, starting from the four santri, PP Darul Aitam Darussalam has a forum of information on reproductive health for teenagers named PIKR (Center of Information and Consultation of Reproductive Health for Adolescents) of As-Salam. Of course its existence is hard work from various parties. The happiest that it is currently able to support its own activities, although in different scales and forms. PIKR As-Salam is like a strong institution that have business entities; economically independent by cooperatives. I am a woman who was destined to be born before Dania and her friends, yet I felt small, the only thing I can do when hearing her stories is just begging God to keep the pure spirits of Dania and her friends.
Dreams
The teenager who was born in Pekalongan on April 18, 1997, originally aspired to become a flight attendant. After growing up, her teenage ideals changed. She imagines herself to be a psychologist, someone she believes is capable and willing to listen to problems experienced by teenagers. These ideals are driven strongly thanks to the favorite reading book, the idol teacher, and the teenager, none other than herself.
Dania with her bright eyes looking at me, “My dream is to hug teenagers. Maybe through Psychology later, I can accompany them through counseling guidance. Teens should not only be considered with one eye. Teen is not a problem “. [] Nurkhayati Aida
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