26.08.2024

Diaconia in Java and Hesse

The students from Indonesia and Germany during their visit to Nganduman. Photo by: UKSW

Rhoda Lynn Gregorio (right) with the leaders of faculties engaged in the program: Ir Ferry Fredy Karwur, M.Sc., Ph.D (UKSW, center) and Prof. Dr. Ulrike Manz (EHD, left). Photo by: UKSW

The Protestant University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt (EHD*) and the Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (UKSW*) are working together in a university cooperation since 2023. Now there has been a first visit from Germany to Indonesia.

Their research project is called 6+6: Six students from Indonesia, six from Germany are visiting Ngaduman village together. Nganduman is located on Java, Indonesia, near UKSW* Campus in Salatiga. The students interview each other, their hosting families, teachers from the village and health professionals about a wide range of topics: faith, family, education, health, agriculture and gender. During participatory observations, they get to know more about health practices in Nganduman’s facilities. They are accompagnied by three teachers from EHD.

With this program, University of Applied Science (EHD) from Darmstadt, Germany and Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (UKSW) from Salatiga, Indonesia, are bringing together students of diaconia, health and social professions. Their subjects are similar, their perspectives are diverse: This way, Indonesian and German students learn from one another and benefit from each others rich experiences.

At the same time in Salatiga, Rhoda Lynn Gregorio and lecturers on Diaconia give talks at the UKSW Campus. Gregorio is International Diaconia Coordinator at United Evangelical Mission (UEM) and part of the team who brought the two Universities together. She talks about ethical recruitment of health professionals and diaconia management. While the twelve students in Ngandum are diving into practice together, Gregorio focuses more on the theory around this practice. Project management and the study programs of UEM are also topics of those lectures, as well as possible funding through scholarships.

For April 2025, it is also planned that as an exchange, two UKSW lecturers will accompany the same six Indonesian students to Germany to continue joint programs such as joint research projects and other activities.

*EHD = Evangelische Hochschule Darmstadt (Protestant University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Germany)

*UKSW = Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (Christian University "Truth of Discourse"), Salatiga, Indonesia)