After two months of preparation, between February 18 and 22, Titian once more assisted Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) and University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) in conducting a workshop at the Rahani Husada Vocational High School. The workshop took nursing as its theme and involved 20 students from the nursing program, two UCQ lecturers and 118 students from Rahani Husada Vocational High School.

The topics were divided into four groups, Basic Life Support, Lifestyle Management, Elderly Care and Personal Development. For the four days of the workshop the students learned these subjects by rotating each day. In addition, on the last day the students of tenth grade had a chance to practice what they had learned. This activity was divided into seven stations, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Personal Safety, Blood Pressure, Vital Signs, Hand Hygiene, Personal Protective Equipment and Pain Management. Through these seven stations, the students could deepen their knowledge of what they had learned during the previous four days.

Each afternoon, after the classes were finished, the students of Rahani Husada shared their knowledge about traditional medications such as yoga message, cupping and herbal drinks. They also taught the volunteers how to sing Javanese songs and write the Javanese alphabet. Sharon, one of the volunteers, said the yoga message, cupping and herbal drinks were particularly interesting since they were new to her.

The volunteers also undertook activities with local communities. On Wednesday (20/2) the volunteers and the people of Tegalrejo planted 113 banana trees on village land at Prengguk in Gedangsari district. It was done to launch Gedangsari as a tourist district. Bananas were chosen with the objective of making Gedangsari the producer of various banana products. Gedangsari actually means banana. Bananas were also chosen in the hope of conserving bananas so they can fulfill market needs. The volunteers also made their own tie-dye scarves assisted by the local people, learning how to tie and dye the cloth until it was transformed into beautiful scarves.

Everyone felt that the time went very fast and it was soon Friday (22/2) and the last day of the workshop. Eyes were filling with tears and gifts were shared on that day. Messages were delivered between volunteers and students. One of the messages was to remind the students that although it was volunteer’s last day in Rahani Husada, it was just the beginning of their friendship. Everyone was sad yet very grateful for that day. The emotional tension resulting from the speeches was changed when lecturers Ms. Marrie Cloud and Ms. Barbara received and wore the sport uniform of SMKN Rahani Husada. Indeed, everyone burst out laughing.

One other important message delivered during this farewell ceremony was to be strong and passionate nurses, reinforcing what students had vowed beforehand during their Personal Development class. (NL)