In everyday life we often carry out simple conservation activities that we may not be aware of. We must help to protect the existence of animals or plants that are becoming scarce and endangered due to damage to the conservation environment itself.
Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) has collaborated with the Orangutan Republic Foundation (OURF) through the Orangutan Caring Scholarships (OCS) program at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Palangka Raya (UPR), which provides scholarships to several embassy science students. The purpose of the scholarship is to boost the students’ conservation awareness to preserve the forest through research that links to the prime habitat of the orangutan in Borneo.
The program has helped many students with their education. In fact, students are increasingly aware of how conservation is becoming very important in everyday life. In addition to the academic aspect of scholarships, students also conduct volunteer activities with BNF. This has made them increasingly active in the environmental field and has opened their eyes and minds about the real condition of nature.
“We hope that through this scholarship, students of the Forestry Study Program at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Palangkaraya will not only have the opportunity to get scientific learning and research but also have the opportunity to gain experience in implementing orangutan conservation with BNF and its partners so that they can compete on national and international levels,” she said.
Some students also thanked OCS who provided assistance in the form of scholarships to them, in the following direct testimonies:
• Glen
Hello, My name is Glen Wildodo and I am one of the recipients of the Orangutan Caring Scholarship or OCS for short. In this short text, I shall tell the experiences that I had as a receiver of this scholarship.
To start it off first I must say it was a very incredible moment for me to be able to receive this scholarship because it is not only that I received financially support, I also gained a lot of knowledge, experiences and I also met a lot of amazing people. The financial help really helped me to be focused fully on my study without worries. This scholarship also opens up a lot of opportunities for me to participate in many different kinds of activities and events such as the International Gibbons Day events and the various workshops and seminars which greatly enhances both my skills and knowledge. I also met a lot of very amazing and talented people such as my seniors, the people who worked at BNF and their colleagues, and various others that are very skilled at what they do, interacting and seeing these amazing people with my own eyes really motivates me to achieve more.
In short, that is what I have experienced as a receiver of this scholarship, but to be truthful I could not find the word to best describe all the things that I have experienced as a receiver of this scholarship but I did find the word to describe how I feel and that is grateful. Thank you for reading.
• Prillicia Gumbang
Hello, my name is Prillicia Gumbang, a student in the Department of Forestry, Palangka Raya University. I was the first batch of recipients in 2018 with my partner Zetli De Costa. Receiving the Orangutan Care Scholarship is an honour for me personally. In addition to helping support my lectures, this scholarship gives me the motivation to learn and develop through adventure, positive activities from BNF, on-campus and off-campus. I also got a very special life story, met with great people like fellow OCS, older siblings at BNF until there was a scholarship donor who left his son’s dream to me to contribute later in the conservation of Orangutans and preserving the Kalimantan Forest. Hihi, this is a piece of my story from the Orangutan Caring Scholarship.
• Fani Delima
My name is Fani Delima Sari Sinaga, I come from the North Sumatra region. I study at the University of Palangka Raya, majoring in forestry in 2018. I am also one of the students who received the Orangutan Caring Scholarship in the second batch. This scholarship really helped me in my educational needs, not only provided tuition assistance but also helped me in finding useful knowledge, getting involved in every BNF activity and other activities made me learn a lot to apply myself as a recipient of the student scholarship. I am very grateful to every donor, OCS friend and BNF for helping me in many ways. Hopefully, I can dedicate my knowledge and education to scholarships and BNF, especially in conservation education to protect what should be our responsibility. Thank you OCS and Thank you BNF.
• Hasyim
Hi, I’m Hasyim Asy’ari Mulawaman. First of all, I would like to thank the orangutan Republican Foundation (OURF) and the Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) for giving me the opportunity to get an orangutan care scholarship in 2019. Many things have been gained since I received this scholarship. I can help ease my family’s finances because I no longer need to think about tuition every semester, from that I am motivated to study harder and continue to develop my capacity.
In addition, I was able to participate in several activities organized by BNF, giving me a lot of insights, new ideas, and adding lots of friends. I feel that there have been changes to my direction since I received this scholarship. I hope that such motivations can continue to grow even greater in me and I will participate in more exciting activities organized by BNF.
• Dhodi Presetia
Hi, my name is Dhodi Presetia, I am one of the recipients of the Orangutan Caring Scholarship, I am 19 years old and now I am studying at the Department of Forestry of Palangka Raya University entering 4th semester. I received the Orangutan Caring Scholarship or OCS in 2019 that organized by the Borneo Nature Foundation or BNF.
The impression that I have felt so far as an OCS scholarship recipient cannot be separated from the sense of togetherness that I got from other scholarship recipients and also the BNF. I have also participated in several activities organized by BNF as a participant or volunteer, through these activities I gained valuable knowledge and experience. I also hope that with this scholarship, it can increase awareness about how important the forest ecosystem is, including the community inside of it such as orangutans. I would like to thank the BNF, including other organizations, and also the donors who have played a role in supporting this scholarship.