Amid growing pressure for budget efficiency in local government, Timar—a civil servant as program and evaluation planner at the Office of Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, and Family Planning (DP3AKB) of Halmahera Utara District—has been facing a major challenge.
For nearly ten years serving as Head of Planning and Evaluation Subdivision, he felt that the plans he produced had not truly addressed the core problems faced by children in Halmahera Utara. Although considered a high-performing planner within the Halmahera Utara local government, he reflected that his planning work so far had not really targeted or responded to children’s issues in the regency.
Timar’s first encounter with the Program of KREASI became a turning point. During an education reflection activity, he became aware of the low literacy and numeracy outcomes of children in his area. This awareness stirred a deep sense of responsibility: he realized that he had been too focused on routine programs such as family planning and services for families with toddlers, while children’s education issues had received far less attention.
“I only just realized that Halmahera Utara has serious education problems, and that DP3AKB also has a role in addressing them,” he said.
Through strategic planning technical assistance facilitated by KREASI, Timar learned to design plans that are more adaptive and data-driven. He came to understand the importance of indicators aligned with Minister of Home Affairs decrees and was able to integrate programs that genuinely have an impact on children.
As a result, Timar successfully convinced leadership to include the Violence-Free Schools (SETARA) Program in the 2026 work plan of his office. SETARA is a pilot model of Child-Friendly Schools (SRA) in Halmahera Utara; in 2025, five model schools at the kindergarten, primary school, and madrasah ibtidaiyah levels were formalized through a Regent’s Decree. The program has been recognized as one of the achievements of the first 100 days of the new regional leadership.
Furthermore, he is now mentoring his staff on how to design programs that have a real impact on children. He hopes that he and his colleagues at the office can continue to build their capacity in facilitating activities and monitoring program outcomes, so that government initiatives can be implemented more efficiently.
Today, Timar is no longer just a planner—he is also an advocate for change. He dreams of making every school in Halmahera Utara a child-friendly space—a place filled with love, peace, and hope. With this commitment, he believes that children’s literacy, numeracy, and character will rise to meet national standards.
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The Program of KREASI or Kolaborasi untuk Edukasi Anak Indonesia (Collaboration for the Education of Indonesian Children) is funded by the Global Partnership for Education, developed by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. KREASI in Halmahera Utara is being implemented by Save the Children and local implementing partner Wahana Visi Indonesia, support by the Government of Halmahera Utara with aims to improve the quality of education in Indonesia by strengthening teaching, learning, and student development.
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Writer: Rany Monika Purba | Editor: Andika Ramadhan | Photo: KREASI/Wahana Visi Indonesia/Save the Children