Conventional organic waste management methods often lead to environmental degradation and underutilization of valuable resources. In rural areas, such as Polaman Village, limited awareness and inefficient disposal systems exacerbate these issues, thus necessitating innovative and sustainable solutions. This study explores black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) bioconversion as a community-based solution for organic waste management, addresses environmental challenges, and promotes economic empowerment by converting waste into valuable by-products. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, beginning with baseline assessments of waste generation and existing management practices to identify community needs. Educational workshops and hands-on training sessions introduced BSFL bioconversion techniques to local stakeholders. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to facilitate dialog and collaboration between Polaman residents, the Polaman Resik Sejahtera Waste Bank, and Universitas Diponegoro. Continuous mentoring and pilot trials were conducted to ensure proper adoption and to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system. The results reveal that BSFL bioconversion significantly reduces organic waste while producing valuable by-products such as compost and larvae. These findings demonstrate the potential of BSFL bioconversion to align with circular economy principles, contributing to environmental sustainability and economic resilience. The project serves as a scalable model for addressing organic waste challenges in rural communities while advancing the green economy agenda.

In 2020, COVID-19 forced several communities to isolate, and radio stations stepped up as leaders in communication and media during the pandemic, especially in rural communities where internet access is lacking. This study examines the vital role for disseminating information among urban and rural communities and improving services for clients who do not have access to the internet or television news updates. Specifically, this study analyses the demographics of the listeners of Bulawanong Tinubdan (BT) Radio 98.1 FM, a radio station of the Cebu Technological University-Tuburan campus and an affiliate of the Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS), a government-owned network. It delves into the community perspective of the station’s programs, as BT Radio 98.1 FM endeavors to be an avenue for communication as well as teaching-learning platform during unexpected lifestyle changes like the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this study seeks to ascertain how listeners perceive the role of BT Radio programs in assisting the community in becoming more connected despite these constraints. The results show that the station captures the majority of the younger audiences in the community, while also highlighting how a campus-based FM radio station promotes community awareness across different age groups. This strengthens the position of the radio program as a learning environment that is widely accessible and that promotes information in the community.

This study explores the do-it-yourself (DIY) project in an urban context, a candle making with recycled used cooking oil (UCO), aiming to empower housewives in Gaga Village, Tangerang, Indonesia. UCO, a household waste material, becomes a trigger for this project because it pollutes the environment and reduces soil fertility if discarded unresponsible. In this scenario, involving the participation of urban housewives can be a way to address this issue. Urban housewives have spare time between their daily activities and present great potential in such a project. Recycling UCO for candle- making material arguably can increase the family’s economic capacity and, at the same time, reduce environmental pollution. This project, which involved four stages— preparation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation—is assessed to examine the response of the participating housewives. The assessment employed a qualitative study, examining the project based on pre- and post-test conditions. The results show an increase in knowledge of UCO by 81.1%, utilization of UCO by 82.1%, understanding of making UCO candles by 39.3%, and understanding of economic opportunities from making UCO candles by 80.9%. Even though the DIY activity is highly interesting for housewives, 78.6% still do not know whether candle-making can be considered an economic opportunity. Through this program, other productive and creative DIY activities can also be identified that can be an extra income for their families without leaving the house. It can be concluded that further intensive and interactive training is necessary to empower housewives with further potential economic opportunities.

This study investigates the early formation and historical development of student service-learning in Indonesia from a global context. Employing a qualitative approach, it utilizes archival research methods for examining the inception of student service- learning, a community empowerment program conducted by the students in the country. It analyzed international documents sourced from Google Books archives, which are available through various online platforms and supplemented by the use of Google Ngram Viewer. The findings indicate that the concept of student service- learning was introduced in Indonesia during the academic year 1971/1972 and adopted by numerous universities before it became mandatory for end-year students starting from 1973 to 1974. This study represents the inaugural archival investigation that revealed that the local community warmly welcomed the arrival of students at the time because their contributions significantly improved societal well-being. Students benefited from direct experiential learning with the community, while the community received assistance and empowerment through resources provided by the universities. Furthermore, the study highlights that in discussions, especially after the establishment of Kuliah Kerja Nyata (KKN) or service-learning as a mandatory program in 1974, numerous documents (eight in 1975 and twelve in 1976) cited KKN as a reference in the international arena. This recognition positions KKN as an exemplary service- learning program on a global scale.

This paper discusses an educational activity program for the indigenous people of Bajo in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, aiming to improve parenting knowledge among young mothers. It addresses issues related to their identity as indigenous people, their self-esteem, and their way of upbringing of children. The issue of low self-esteem among the Bajo community often leads to adverse effects on their learning motivation, future orientation, and exclusivity, particularly in children. This situation becomes more complicated due to the societal tendency toward child marriage, especially among the Bajo people in Leppe Village. Rumahku Madrasahku (meaning My Home is My School) is a program proposed using an adult learning approach to introduce egalitarian parenting and teach children about self-worth. Departing from Brofensbrenner's ecological theory, this program highlights the role of the family as a basis for encouraging a positive sense of self-worth in the Bajo children. A series of activities are planned and prepared using Participatory Action Research (PAR), from sharing sessions, lectures, question and answer, reflection, and assignment exercises. The program utilizes the mothers' knowledge and experience in parenting to be further developed parenting strategies. It provides young mothers with a greater understanding of the self-esteem concept, the significance of children's self-esteem, and parenting strategies that can increase children's self-esteem and enhance their awareness of their roles and responsibilities as mothers and parents. This educational program has only initiated the first phase of providing the young mother with understanding, awareness, and skills that might be required for egalitarian parenting. Even though it is challenging and may take some time, changes in knowledge and attitudes towards parenting can be observed as a result of the program, thus calling for continuous and further systematic assistance in the future.

This edition of AJCE focuses on three main objectives of community engagements, running under the theme of literacy, creative innovation, and resilience. Covering these objectives, this edition consists of three research articles and five case-based articles written by authors from multi-nationalities. These authors' expertise spans across fields and industries, from communications, journalism, nursing, and economics; demonstrating various means of engaging with society informed by their respective backgrounds.

Midwifery is a profession that provides care for women, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. Despite the increasing number of men finishing a degree in midwifery, many people assume that only women can be midwives. Thus, this study aimed to identify the context of rural communities toward the practice of midwifery by men. Further, it explored the reasons for whether they will avail of the services of male midwives. The study was conducted on 14 women and four men residing in the rural areas of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. Respondents were accessed through purposive sampling based on the inclusion criteria: A researcher-made interview guide was used in obtaining qualitative data from the respondents. The responses were elicited through a semistructured, individual in-depth interview. Data collection was continued until data saturation was met. Ethical principles were followed throughout the process. Data were transcribed, coded, and categorized to obtain the results of the study. In this study, although male midwives are perceived as professionals and well trained, women still prefer female midwives and express their doubts about the men’s capability to provide care, especially during delivery and childbirth. The respondents also expressed feelings of embarrassment on showing their bodies to a man other than their husband or partner. On the contrary, their willingness to avail of their services depends on whether they can perform and provide quality care. From these findings, the Department of Health and local government units may increase the presence of male midwives by hiring them in different health facilities. This may eventually help them be well known and accepted in the healthcare profession.

Scabies is one of the most neglected tropical skin diseases in Indonesia. It is usually found in overcrowded communities with poor hygiene. The gold standard for scabies treatment is the whole-body topical application of 5% permethrin cream. However, the treatment causes inconvenience and stickiness for a prolonged period. The modification of topical treatment by applying only to the lesion yielded results similar with whole-body topical application. We consider using this mode of treatment to control the disease in a boarding school. The study was conducted from June to August 2019. All students were examined by dermatologists, and individuals who were diagnosed with scabies were treated using 5% permethrin for 12 h before wash-off (week 0) applied on the lesion only and reapplied a week after. The evaluation was conducted on weeks 4 and 8 by observing scabies lesions. Local health cadres were also trained, and environmental interventions were also performed. A total of 75 participants were analyzed. Most lesions were found on predilection sites such as finger web spaces of the left (57.3%) and right (58.7%) hands, gluteal region (60%), and penis (40%). The cure rate (CR) was 83%–100% of the lesions in week 4, which increased to 95%–100% in week 8. The CR on week 8 compared with baseline was 94.7% (p < 0.001). A total of 23 cadres were trained, and from post-test, 84% of the cadres showed good knowledge of scabies management. This novel application of 5% permethrin cream on the lesion only is an effective alternative to the conventional whole-body topical application.

Anti-displacement movements are one of the burning issues in the current global scenario. Global south has been experiencing such widespread resistance since the inception of its anti-colonial struggle. Gender in this context has played a crucial part to make it a large-scale mass movement, as the women bear the brunt of displacement. It is chiefly because they have economic independence as they have customary rights over the communal property resources. Displacement has caused mental trauma for the adivasi women who end up being prostitutes to eke out livelihoods. In this background the present article seeks to explore the impact of development-induced-displacement on the adivasi women of Odisha and analyses their struggle for survival from a socio-historical point of view. The research is based on data collected during the field survey employing a stratified simple random sampling method. The objective of the present research is to understand the changing pattern of livelihood of the adivasi women before and after displacement and how they are coping with the mental trauma caused by their dispossession. In theory, it is believed that the adivasi women enjoy a greater autonomy than their non-adivasi counterparts. But the primary outcome of the research shows that, in the wake of neo-liberal economy, increasing risks of life and deteriorating standard of living due to evictions causing serious problems like loss of assets, alcoholism, wife-battering, and domestic violence. Therefore, the research attempts to analyse the plight of the adivasi women suffering due to the onslaught of destructive “development” and thus taking part in many ongoing movements against displacement.

The geriatric minimal service standard (SPM) coverage in Depok has steadily decreased from 37.53% in 2013 to 11.8% in 2018. One factor affecting the problem is a lack of patient participation and the inability of posbindu (integrated service post for older people) cadres to perform their tasks. To increase the coverage of older people visiting posbindu, it is necessary to raise the knowledge and skill levels of posbindu cadres and community health centre staff in Depok. The skills include performing nutritional status assessment (NSA) and screening, early detection of dementia, independence assessment, and elderly nutrition counselling. This is a case-based article focusing on geriatric nutrition training for posbindu cadres and community health service staffs. We undertook training for 35 subjects (22 posbindu cadres and 13 community health centre staff). At the end of the training, the mean score of the elderly nutrition knowledge had increased to 52.5 points. The score before training significantly differed with post-training (p = 0.001). The knowledge of subjects who have the previous training was also significantly different from those who did not have the previous training (p = 0.017). The knowledge of posbindu cadres and community health centre staffs can be improved through elderly nutrition training. Technical assistance and monitoring performed three months after the training measured their ability to perform the geriatric nutrition services. They should be able to demonstrate how to educate older people in the diabetes mellitus nutrition campaign, metabolic syndrome, nutrition-balanced diet, and gout; also, how to conduct predicted height measurements using the knee-height predictor, and how to fill MNA, MMSE, BADL, and IADL instruments. We suggest the geriatric nutrition training program will increase SPM coverage at Depok City.