PWP Pertamina Invites Refugee Children in Balongan to Wash Hands and Paint Together

Indramayu, April 5, 2021 – The trauma healing activity at Bumi Patra Sports Center (GOR) Balongan continues. This time, the Patra Women's Association (PWP) RU VI Balongan invited the refugee children to play and learn together.

PWP RU VI carried out this post-traumatic healing activity at the Bumi Patra Sports Center (GOR), Pertamina Balongan Housing Complex, Indramayu, West Java Sunday (4/4/2021). PWP also involved several young Scout members in learning and playing with the children.

Head of PWP RU VI Balongan, Yenni Hendri Agustian, together with PWP members, invited the refugee children to play and learn how to wash their hands properly. The children looked enthusiastic and laughed. Children also wear masks as a Covid-19 health protocol.

"My name is Doctor Ita. I want to teach children how to wash their hands properly and cleanly using soap and clean running water. First, wipe the soap on the palms of the hands, the back of the hands, between fingers, thumbs, and then we rinse using clean water," said Dr. Ita from PWP.

Furthermore, the PWP coordinator invited the children to pray together before starting the main activity, painting together. One of the children led the prayer.

PWP coordinator invited the children to sit on a mat with a white cloth in front of them. On top of the cloth, paint is available in small containers with various colors.

During the painting activities, the children seemed enthusiastic. They dipped their brushes in the paint and painted on the white cloth. Children were drawing houses, mountains, cartoon characters, and flowers. They also wrote their names on the paintings they made.

Yenni said this activity was deliberately designed to entertain and relieve displaced children's trauma due to the tank incident at the Balongan Refinery.

"From the first day after the incident, we immediately took action to embrace and entertain the refugees, while still implementing health protocols," said Yenni.

She added that the painting activity that was held was expected to relieve the trauma of children in the evacuation camps. "We hope they can express their feelings so they can eliminate their trauma. We want the children to be healthy and cheerful," said Yenni.**