Putu Sayoga/Arka Project

Indonesia’s Don Quixote of Literacy
Indonesia   www.putusayoga.net

43 year old Ridwan Sururi is a horse carer living in Serang Village, Indonesia. He decided to start a mobile library called Kudapustaka – meaning “horse library” – with the donated books from his fellow horse enthusiast, Nirwan Arsuka and other donors. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday he visits nearby schools and villages to offer books for children and villagers. According to data from UNESCO, adult literacy in Indonesia has dropped from 15.4m in 2004 to 2.7m in 2011. In Ridwan’s area, there still remains approximately 977,000 illiterates. With books coming at expensive prices and libraries being scarce, Ridwan’s efforts are hugely important in his local area.