Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka welcomed the cooperation in providing healthy family latrines and sanitation improvement programs in Mojo Village, Pasar Kliwon District, Surakarta City. This is one of the actions that must be taken in the arrangement of slum areas in the region. Cooperation with the private sector is also very open to accelerating the steps to improve people's living standards.

"We are very concerned about the reduction of slum areas, especially in Semanggi Village, Mojo Village, and surrounding areas. We will always cooperate with the center, private sector, and others. So we're not alone. Therefore, the reduction of slums in this city is fast," said Gibran who reviewed the healthy family latrines in collaboration between the Kompas Humanitarian Fund Foundation (YDKK) and the Mojo Waras Non-Community Group (KSM), Thursday (16/3/2023).

The mayor visited the house of Ibu Wulan, one of the beneficiaries of the family healthy latrine program at RT 09 RW 02, Mojo Village.

The inauguration of the family's own healthy latrine was carried out by the Head of Pasar Kliwon Ahmad Khoironi. Present at the event were Lurah Mojo Nurrochman, Chairman of YDKK Gesit Ariyanto, Chairman of KSM Mojo Jumadi, Regional Manager of USAID IUWASH Tangguh Central Java Jeffry Budiman.

The Family Healthy Latrines program is the result of collaboration between YDKK and KSM Mojo Waras supported by USAID IUWASH Tangguh and the Surakarta City government.

The Family Healthy Latrines program in Mojo is carried out at RT 001 RW 03 and RT 009 / RW 02. The program includes 15 sets of individual healthy latrines, 9 house connections (SR) to the Surakarta City WWTP system, 4 units of Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems, and 2 units of latrine houses for low-income people in RT 001 RW 03 and RT 009/RW 02, Mojo Village, Pasar Kliwon District, Surakarta City, Central Java. This program benefits 45 underprivileged families covering around 106 people.

The funds for the construction of the Family Healthy Latrines program of around Rp 193 million came from donations from readers of the Kompas Daily managed by YDKK.

At the meeting with residents, DKK Foundation Chairman Gesit Ariyanto expressed his appreciation to residents and local governments who are committed to completing the program that has been started. The consistency of residents in solving environmental sanitation problems is the key to the success of the program.

"We from DKK Foundation are partners who facilitate the program. The readiness of citizens and the readiness of local governments to run programs are the keys to this success. The point is the readiness of all parties. Hopefully, the results will be sustainable," said Gesit.

DKK Foundation is also preparing to be part of the solution to other humanitarian problems, especially programs that can be accounted for and sustainable. DKK exists because of donations from Kompas readers who pay attention to humanitarian issues, one of which is problems related to stunting or tengkes.

The Healthy Latrines Development Program in RT 001 RW 03 and RT 009/RW 02, Mojo Village is part of the second phase of the environmental sanitation improvement program. Previously, in 2021, YDKK collaborated with KSM Mojo Waras to build pipelines and house connections (SR) to access decent and safe drinking water for 60 households.

The environmental sanitation improvement program is one of YDKK's main programs in addition to disaster response and disaster rehabilitation. Improvement of environmental sanitation needs to be done to change the habit of open defecation, reduce domestic waste pollution to rivers/rivers, and in the medium and long term will reduce the incidence of stunting.

From 2021 to 2023, YDKK built healthy family latrines in a number of areas, namely in Pucungrejo Village, Muntilan District, Magelang Regency, Central Java; Sukun and Tunjungsekar Villages, Malang, East Java; Mojo Village, Surakarta City, Central Java; Kelurahan Panjang, Magelang City, Central Java. The number of healthy latrines that have been completed is 177 units along with impermeable septic tanks and toilets with Indonesian National Standards (SNI).

The environmental sanitation improvement program will continue. On Friday, March 17, 2023, YDKK and Forum Tembang Tidar will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a number of healthy family latrines in 11 urban villages in three sub-districts in Magelang City, Central Java.