KREASI Morotai facilitated a hybrid meeting between the Government of Pulau Morotai Regency and the Government of Sumba Barat Regency on 23 June. This forum served as a space for inter-regional learning and a platform to strengthen joint commitments toward inclusive and child-friendly local governance. Sumba Barat shared its best practices, particularly the establishment of the District Children’s Forum (Forum Anak Daerah/FAD) through an open selection process.
Selected children are given the opportunity to learn about their rights and voice their aspirations directly to the local government. This strategy inspired Morotai to enhance child participation in a more systematic way.
In return, Morotai showcased its innovations in education and environmental initiatives. These include full scholarships for 1,112 students up to undergraduate level, and efforts to foster a clean environment as part of a child-friendly ecosystem—demonstrating its long-term commitment to inclusive development.
The discussion was highly engaging. Sumba Barat highlighted the importance of budget allocation for local cleaning task forces and expressed interest in learning more about Morotai’s scholarship funding schemes. This collaboration reaffirmed that sharing knowledge between regions not only inspires but also helps refine policy priorities.
“This kind of activity reminds us to realign our priorities. Don’t get tired of reaching out to us. The government needs partners who can hold us accountable,” said Ahdad, Head of the Regional Planning and Development Agency (Bappedalitbang) of Morotai.
This meeting proves that good practices are worth replicating, adapting, and scaling. Because the future of children depends on cross-border, cross-sector, and cross-commitment collaboration.
Text: Ayutama Putri Jordy (Writer); Andika Ramadhan (Editor)