MANOKWARI (12/16/2019) - In June 2019, Bentara Papua opened vacancies for village volunteers and young farmer volunteers. Young farmer volunteers are opened for youths across the archipelago who are already quite proficient in organic farming, while village volunteers are aimed at young people in the Manokwari and surrounding areas who want to study in villages related to organic farming, mapping and small-scale economics.
The vacancy was announced through Facebook and Instagram accounts. The application procedure is sent via email or delivered directly to the Pondok Bentara Papua office. Vacancies for young farmers are predominantly applicants from outside Papua, while for village volunteers are dominated by applicants in the Papua and West Papua regions. Specifically for village volunteers, it is actually reserved for young people who live in Manokwari, but because it is posted on social media, apparently there are quite many registrants from outside Manokwari.

There were 54 recorded village volunteer applicants, but only 12 were domiciled in Manokwari, and the twelve youths were then called in for an interview and provided with some knowledge before being brought along with Bentara staff to the assistance location. As for young farmers, there are actually a number of candidates, but it is constrained by non-technical matters to go to Manokwari.
So that only village volunteer applicants can be processed. Well, interestingly from the 12 names, there is no name Demius Aud. When calling the village volunteer candidates for an interview, Demi came to Pondok Bentara himself, without being called. We checked again in the email and the application was delivered directly, the name Demius Aud was not on the list of village volunteer reception. Apparently Demi's proposal was addressed to the vacancy of young farmers.

Initially rejected because it did not meet the criteria in the vacancy of young farmer volunteers. However, Demi did not give up, he really wanted to join. Well, because of his strong desire, then Demius was asked to make a handwritten letter of application for the village volunteer vacancies, then submitted, even though registration was closed.

 Furthermore, 12 of these applicants plus Demius Aud attended a week-long debriefing at Pondok Bentara. The supplies provided were in the form of knowledge of organic agriculture, land measurement tools, about mapping, and small-scale economic practices by utilizing local Papuan food.

In the debriefing process, several volunteer candidates later resigned for various reasons. Those who were there then took part in the debriefing, then were followed with Bentara staff to undergo a 6-month volunteer program. Some volunteers were included in Bamaha Village in Anggi District, Arfak Mountains District (One of the Bentara Papua Learning Centers in the Arfak Mountains region), and others in Solol Raja Ampat and Teminabuan Sorong Selatan.

Over time, one by one the village volunteers resigned, and until December 2019, only 4 volunteers survived, namely Tasya, Oki, Cesar and Demius. Interestingly again, the 4 volunteers, including Demi, still wanted to continue the mentoring program with Bentara Papua in 2020.

Then what made Demi want to continue the community assistance program with Bentara Papua?
"At that time I was storing clothes to prepare for going home to the village, but then a friend came to know that if Bentara Papua had open village volunteer vacancies, so I was interested in joining," said Demius Aud.
But because he forgot his email password, he asked his brother to send his application file. "Friends say they have sent, but apparently not. Luckily at that time I came alone to the Bentara office, so it was acceptable, "Demius said with his trademark smile.

Demius, who graduated from Diploma III in the Department of Aquaculture at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, University of Papua Manokwari then various stories. "Indeed, I saw the photo of the volunteer acceptance banner related to Agriculture, but I ventured to try the list, because I used to study at Wamena in agriculture," he said.

When called for an interview, Demi also said that the basis is actually agriculture. He even practiced it more often in daily life, by opening a garden around the hostel or cottage where he lived while in college.
"When I registered at Unipa, I applied for agriculture and forestry, but my name came out at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, so I just participated," Demi shared his story.
For the sake of actually coming to Manokwari to study in 2011, however, due to his late arrival, he finally had to delay a year to fulfill his wish to continue studying at Unipa.

"When I arrived at the airport, I went straight to Unipa, but I said it was too late, because the entrance test had passed. Fortunately there are brothers here who help, so I'm not discouraged, but I immediately made the decision to find work. I worked at the port as a laborer lifting and unloading goods, for a year, until Unipa opened registration again, then I joined, finally being accepted to study at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, "he explained.

The young man from Iluga, Central Mamberamo Regency, Papua, said that in the course of his lecture it did not run smoothly. In addition to being busy with the Central Mamberamo Student Association and having fallen sick several times, he was finally one year late. "When the Field Work Practices were like that too, I almost failed because of illness, but finally got through it and could finish at Unipa," he said.
For Demi, all the processes he went through were lessons for him, and he tried to face all obstacles calmly and confidently. "When I practiced in the laboratory for the final project of scientific work entitled Natural Hatchery of Goldfish, there were 4 goldfish that I used for research, namely 2 male goldfish and 2 female goldfish. I do not know, there is a habit of male goldfish when the night will jump high, so I do not close the container. Tomorrow I enter the lab (Laboratory), I find one goldfish lying dead on the lab floor. So I repeat again, looking for a male goldfish for research, "he explained.

Even though I did not sleep 24 hours until I fell ill while observing the process of marriage to produce fish eggs, Demi claimed to be satisfied, that by practicing, she came to know more about what was learned. do it, "he said.
The man who was born on December 14, 1992 claimed to have been left by his father and mother since childhood and had to live on foot by following his uncle, so that every challenge he faced, would always be a lesson to become better.

"I am very happy to join Bentara, because I have found so much here. I am also happy to finally be able to know the lives of the people in the Arfak Mountains. I prefer to live there, because it is quiet and can garden with the community, "said the man from the central mountains of Papua.

For the sake of having 3 siblings, he has committed himself to gain as much knowledge as possible to be used as provisions when returning to his village. Bentara Papua, according to him, is one that can provide him with knowledge, so he will utilize the momentum to learn and continue to learn.

"The family has a telephone saying they go home, because there are people who want to enter their area, but I say, first later, because I still have to study. We have to know a lot, so we can work well. Not just talking, but don't know the practice, "said Demi who is also a graduate of Yasores Wamena Vocational School.

Written by: Ab Yomo