IBEKA Training on Systems Thinking

By: Pute

Training on Systems Thinking

On May 24-25, 2016, KAIL was invited by IBEKA to train Systems Thinking Techniques (STT). The training was conducted in Panaruban, filling the day 28th and 29th of IBEKA Camp and was attended by 85 participants. For two days, participants followed a series of materials of STT provided by KAIL. The materials were delivered alternately by the staff of KAIL. Behavior Over Time (BOT) by Melly Amalia.

Participants created groups, each contained 14-15 people. In the group, participants were invited to describe a vision based on case studies and were introduced to the tools of systems thinking such as indicators, Behavior Over Time (BOT), Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) and leverage points. Participants were also given the material on the logic of cause and effect. The training was not only through presentations by speakers and group discussions, but also through games such as a triangle idol and a living loop.

All participants were very enthusiastic. Many questions have arisen from the minds of the participants. During the training, many discussions echoed in all corners of the hall of the mosque where the training was held. Two days was fairly not enough to explore and to deepen the understanding of systems thinking. Participants were expected to take advantage of the systems thinking.

translated by: Bernadetta Tarigan

Making own cleaning products with Botanina

By: Kukuh Samudra

On Sunday, May the 8th, 2016 Kail House received guests from Botanina. Botanina develops homecare and skincare products from natural ingredients. Guided by Botanina, Kail staff with participants coming from various backgrounds intended to create their own cleaning products. The workshop participants were more than 10 people. At the time of introduction, they admitted how curious they were to create their own cleaning products.

In the beginning, Kak Tina and Kak Olva of Botanina explained the initial formation of their organization. Kak Tina, as the founder, had the thought of making home cleaning and baby care products when she was pregnant.

Tina thinks that typically people do not understand the process and materials used to make cleaning and baby care products on the market and the fact that these products actually contain synthetic ingredients that have negative side effects for health in the long term.

According to Tina, nature actually has given everything to us. She admitted to have wept when applying her self-made natural Telon oil to her baby. "Thank you universe, you have protected my baby," she said. There are two types of products developed by Botanina, namely household cleaning products and body care products. Currently the focus is on developing household care products, because there are already many other organizations that develop body care products. Tina added that nowadays many of us pay more attention to the aesthetics of the body rather than the health of the family.

Botanina began in developing their products since five years ago, but the marketing started about two years ago. The products they develop are diverse, ranging from soaps, oral hygiene products, natural pesticides and air freshener.

In the workshop at Kail House participants made some cleaning products, ranging from toothpaste, mouthwash, furniture cleaners and natural pesticides.

To make toothpaste ingredient needed were salt, baking soda, cacao, charcoal (powder), honey and coconut oil. These materials are full recipe and can be simplified according to availability. The main property of toothpaste is abrasive, ability to help the process of tooth remineralization and in paste form for easy use. "The foam effect on the toothpaste is actually only a suggestive of a cleaning effect," said Olva.

Botanina colleagues added that we often obsessed with very clean teeth so clean that kills all the bacteria in the body. The main purpose of a cleaning product is not to kill all the bacteria but to create a balance of ecosystems in the mouth so that the beneficial bacteria can stay alive.

Charcoal powder and baking soda both are examples of abrasive ingredients, so they can be interchanged or complementary. Cacao and salt both are needed for tooth remineralization process. Lastly, the coconut oil is used to dissolve the ingredients and honey to make the taste more palatable.

The next product is mouthwash. The materials used were simple and often encountered as spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Boil all materials together. Once cool, add salt and a little baking soda as cleaning agent.

Moving to make furniture cleaner, an important point to note is that knowledge of material properties and functions. To make glass or metal furniture cleaner, we need the alkaline material. We dissolve baking soda with water and a bit of vinegar.

To repel insects and pests, Botanina introduces a mix of 10 essential oils. Every insect or pest has its own fears to a certain flora. For example, mice are fear of coffee, while mosquitoes are afraid to lavender. To make natural pesticides, we can use a mixture of essential oils dissolved in water in a spray bottle. Instead of camphor, a few drops of the mixture on a piece of flannel fabric can be hung in a closet. Needed to understand is that essential oils are extracts of plant oils processed by distillation technique to have similar concentrations of 50-fold.

Making own cleaning products is pretty easy as long as we recognize the nature and function of materials to be utilized as well as the process of making safe and natural.

translated by: Bernadetta Tarigan

Let's Create Your Own Cleaning Products

By: Tien Widiyaningrum

A housewife would not want to come in contact with various cleaning products every day, ranging from detergents, dishwashing soap, toothpaste, floor cleaning soap and so forth. But, did you know that regular cleaning products we buy in the shops nearby were not all safe?

Cleaning products were initially created to ease daily activities. But, many of us do not realize the danger of the impact of commercial chemical-based products, ranging from long-term effects for the health of the family and environmental pollution caused by production processes and waste. Because of this concern Botanina and Kail House did a cooperation to conduct a workshop on how to make household cleaning products with a base material easy enough we encounter every day.

The workshop was held in Kail House on Sunday, May 8, 2016. The event began at 10:00 and finished at 13:00. It was attended by 24 participants from different regions and backgrounds, ranging from students to housewives. This time, Olva and Tina from Botanina took turns telling how to make toothpaste, mouthwash, all-purpose cleaner (liquid and powdered versions), pest and germ control, wood cleaners, and floor cleaning soap. Not only that, Olva and Tina also explained in details the functions of each of the base material used in making these cleaning products.

Participants were enthusiastic. Many of them asked interesting questions, animated the atmosphere in the workshop. There was also one of the participants whose children were particularly sensitive to commercial cleaning products so she was so excited in participating in the workshop. Some other participants hoped that they can figure out how to make natural soap, but unfortunately Botanina could not do that due to the fact that soap making process is complicated and lengthy. Perhaps at another time Kail House can have another chance to hold a workshop specifically to make natural soap for the participants who are still curious. We'll wait.

translated by: Bernadetta Tarigan