:.••Kami dan Pers

It used to be a dingy slum, where drug dealers operated unfettered by either the police or anyone else.

But now the same dealers who used to control the streets risk facing the wrath of the residents if they show their faces in the area. Local teenagers mob them and mothers spray them with water.

Megi Budi, 43, a resident of Bonang subdistrict in Central Jakarta, said it had taken some time to change the attitudes of his neighbors toward drugs.

Megi established a community house to help his neighbors prepare for their own war on drugs.

"We have seen the changes and outcomes after we built this learning house. Changes for the better," Megi said.

From the late 1970s to the early 2000s, Bonang was notorious as a safe haven for drug dealers. Many of the area's young people were victims of the trade. Overdoses and other drug-abuse related deaths were common.

In 2002 Megi decided that enough was enough. The neighborhood needed a place where the residents could gather safely and discuss solving the problem.

He then went to see sociologist Imam B. Prasodjo, who lived nearby at the time. It was the first of many meetings, but in April 2003 the Proklamasi Community Learning House, named after the monument that stands near Bonang, was established.

"Since opening, we have held routine activities every week for residents, not only for mothers and father but also for their children," Megi said.

Among the activities available are sports, computer lessons, Koran recitals for Muslim residents, management training, graphic design lessons, math courses, aerobics classes and handicraft making.

"At the activities, residents gather together. As time went by (after we started) we had an unwritten pledge to fight drugs in the area," Megi said.

Megi said that the house had contributed two important elements to fighting the drug problem. First, the house and its activities had drawn people together, particularly teenagers, who are more susceptible to drug abuse. Now families spent more time together, he said.

The center had also facilitated the establishment of a self-surveillance mechanism among residents to help protect their relatives from drugs.

"Things are changing now for the better, said Edo S., a community leader.

The center also helped reduce the unemployment level in the neighborhood, one of the prime causes of the drug problem, as the lessons in handicraft making and business management gave residents more job options.

Bonang is a low-income subdistrict with 5,200 residents, 50 percent of which are unemployed and lack education.

"Thanks to the learning house, our children are receiving additional skills that raise their chances of getting jobs," Edo said.

Rian, 23, who resigned from his job as a security officer six months ago, was taught sablon (screen printing) at the learning house.

"I have received orders from the neighborhood for 30 shirts for next Independence Day," he said.

Megi said one of the root causes of drug abuse was poverty. If residents could not find jobs, they would be in danger of dealing or using drugs, he said.

"We cooperate with several companies near our area. We ask them to train and recruit our people," Megi said. One such company is the Koran Tempo newspaper, which has hired several residents.

Juariah, a 72-year-old who has lived in the area for almost 50 years, said the community center had had a great impact on the area.

"We are grateful for this learning house. Our children now spend most of their time doing useful things, despite once being involved in drugs," she said.

"I could not have imagined that we would reach this stage. We started with only 15 people and now we have more than 500," Megi said.

(Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta)