Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) conducted a Community Service Program in Pakam Village, Batu Bara, through focus group discussions (FGD) and Community Training & Development held at the Hall of the Cooperative and Small and Medium Enterprises Office of
Batu Bara Regency.
This community service program is part of Desa Binaan USU's Program, carried out by a group of
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences lecturers from various academic programs. The program is titled “Development of Village Regulations on Household Waste Management and Small Business Operations to Support Economic Empowerment in Pakam Village.”
Desa Binaan USU's Program is a community service program run by the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) with the aim of developing village potential through various empowerment activities. The program involves students and lecturers from various disciplines to provide solutions to problems in the villages and improve the quality of life of the villagers.
This series of community service activities consists of training and development programs for housewives, who are organized into groups of workers involved in the processing of shellfish waste. Additionally, the development of village regulations on household waste management is being undertaken to support the local economy. The FGD activity was conducted to explore the aspirations of local government officials and relevant parties to align perceptions regarding the formulation of village regulations on household waste management and small businesses to support community economic empowerment in Pakam Village.
This FGD invited relevant parties such as local governments, sub-districts, and districts, with a total of 17 participants. The training and development activities themselves were attended by 19 participants, predominantly housewives.
This service team is led by Dra. Februati Trimurni, M.Si., Ph.D., with members comprising USU lecturers from various disciplines (programs of study), namely Dr. Muhammad Arifin Nasution, S.Sos., Wiro Oktavius Ginting, S.Sos., M.Si., Dra. Dara Aisyah, M.Si., Ph.D., and Siti Hazzah Nur. R, S.Sos., M.AP., from the Public Administration program. Additionally, there are Dr. Yovita Sabarina Sitepu, S.Sos., M.Si. from the Communication Studies program and Dr. Onan Marakali Siregar, S.Sos., M.Si from the Business Administration Program.
Dra. Februati Trimurni, M.Si., Ph.D., as the head of the community service program, explained that the initiative to draft village regulations and empower the community arose from community complaints about waste and the potential that exists.
“Complaints (from the community) regarding this waste have reached us (the community service team), and we also see potential here. The hope is that after this, waste management will become part of village regulations, so that its management and results will be maximized,” said Februati.
According to Ratna Dewi (housewife), a participant in the training and development program, they have been managing tamin (shellfish) waste for approximately four years. Unfortunately, they are working independently. The local government provides support but does not have full authority over the activities carried out by Ratna and her colleagues.
Ratna hopes that the arrival of the USU community service team can improve the welfare of female workers at Tamin. “Our hope here is that this activity can be carried out again by USU, not just this once, so that the number of working mothers can increase because there is support,” added Ratna.
Drs. Bambang Hadi Suprapto, M.Si., as the Assistant for Economy and Development at the Batu Bara Regency Secretariat, who was also present to deliver a speech and open the FGD event, expressed his hopes following the completion of this activity. “We hope that this activity will enable Pakam Village to become a pioneer for other villages. We also need the support of academics to identify the basic potential and opportunities that can be managed, of course through a commitment to building synergy with USU,” said Bambang in his speech.
Given the natural resources and human capital available, proper management of waste could be developed into a new source of income for the community, thereby boosting the local economy. It is truly regrettable if existing resources are not managed effectively. The outcomes of community service initiatives advocating for waste management to be formalized into village regulations (perdes) mark the first step toward enhancing the economic well-being of the community.
