The COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia is increasingly concerning, especially because the Indonesian Government is not responsive and uses too much political narrative to deal with the crisis at hand. As a result, many sectors are not handled properly, such as providing education to the public about how important it is to protect oneself during a pandemic. This urged Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta to participate in providing education, assistance, and examples to the community through the COVID-19 Volunteer Community Service (KKN) Program which was officially deployed on Saturday (19/9) on the Ground Floor of the KH Ahmad Dahlan Mosque, UMY Central Campus. A total of 180 students and 30 field assistant lecturers were deployed in this program.
Rector of UMY Dr. Ir. Gunawan Budiyanto M.P. IPM emphasized that the task of the COVID-19 Volunteer Community Service Program is to mobilize public awareness and discipline in the middle of the COVID-19 situation, so the Community Service Program must be a pillar that halts the spread of the virus. “UMY is fully confident that its students have the rational intelligence and scientific intelligence to carry out this mandate. That is why this Community Service Program is held, so that all levels of UMY academic society can participate. Some Indonesians lack discipline and awareness, so you have to be an example and provide education on the importance of discipline and awareness in implementing health protocols in daily habits,” he explained.
In truth, there is a clear formula on how to fight the COVID-19 virus, but most Indonesians still underestimate it. “A transmission will occur if there are droplets that fall on our body parts, clothes, and make us infected, that’s why the 3M movement is important, the task of this Community Service Program is to socialize the movement to the community, namely wearing masks, washing hands (as often as possible), and maintaining distance. The Ministry of Health, which should have strictly adhered to health protocols, has the most number of employees infected with the COVID-19 virus. Our students must be able to provide examples, provide education, provide assistance, provide role models for the community to implement 3M, “continued Gunawan.
The UMY COVID-19 Volunteer Community Service Program will be held for two months starting from September 21 to November 20. Students will focus on implementing programs in the Kasihan District, as UMY has collaborated with the Kasihan District Office in the Kasihan Bermasker District program on 9 September. “UMY is not a selfish organization. Through the Kasihan Bermasker community movement some time ago, we devoted our attention to the environment around UMY. As a community of academics, we have carried out these activities in nearby cafes, involving the Police, Koramil, and District officials. It’s all done because we care for all of you, especially students who are active in the Kasihan district but don’t use masks. So, you must continue the program in this KKN.”
Meanwhile, Dr. H. Agung Danarto M.Ag., Head of the UMY Board of Advisors, revealed that it was a hard decision for the campus to send students in the COVID-19 Volunteer Community Service Program, considering that the COVID-19 case in Indonesia is experiencing an alarming increase. “Indeed, it would be risky for UMY to field their students when the COVID-19 cases are at their highest. There are more than 3,000 cases per day, with a total number of over 200,000, and 30 million worldwide. On one hand, we want everyone to be safe, but if KKN is not implemented it will delay your graduation. We must educate the public while the Indonesian bureaucracy is messy. I advise all students to be able to protect themselves, protect their friends, and protect the community. ”
n addition, Agung said that the aim of this Community Service Programe was not to sacrifice the students in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Currently, many health workers have died. We do not want to sacrifice you, but we want you to be part of the community that saves the nation from the dangers of COVID-19, so that transmission can be cut off, until a vaccine is found. This is a responsibility for all of us, and hopefully this activity will provide benefits for all of us,” he said symbolically sending off the UMY COVID-19 Volunteer students. (Hbb)
