Wisuda Sekolah Perempuan Angkatan II : Perempuan Poso, Bangkit!

““Saya tidak pernah membayangkan, sama sekali tidak pernah mengira bahwa hari ini saya bisa berkumpul, berbagi cerita bahkan tertawa lepas dengan saudara-saudara saya yang muslim. Hari-hari ketika saya dan anak saya yang masih kecil dipaksa meninggalkan kampung, keluar masuk hutan untuk bertahan hidup, saya pikir itu hari dimana hari seperti hari ini tidak akan terjadi lagi. Semalam, saya menangis terharu dan bahagia, bisa tidur bersama-sama dengan saudara-saudara saya yang muslim tanpa rasa takut. Bangga melihat saudara-saudara yang muslim jauh-jauh datang masuk ke wilayah yang dikenal sebagai wilayah Kristen tanpa ragu. Saya sangat bahagia karena Sekolah Perempuan memungkinkan hal itu terjadi hari ini”

Suara ibu Martince, anggota Sekolah Perempuan Angkatan I yang juga fasilitator Sekolah Perempuan tersendat menahan tangis. Beberapa ibu mengusap air mata mendengar cerita Ibu Martince, mungkin membayangkan dan merasakan apa yang dikatakan. Pernyataan penuh haru ini disampaikannya saat membuka kegiatan wisuda Sekolah Perempuan Angkatan II pada tanggal 4 Juni 2013.

Wisuda Sekolah Perempuan Angkatan II yang diadakan di tepi Danau Poso, calon kantor Mosintuwu yang baru, nampak sangat berwarna hari itu. 87 ibu-ibu yang berasal dari 24 desa di Kabupaten Poso telah belajar bersama di Sekolah Perempuan selama satu tahun dan nampak berseri-seri dengan pakaian adat berwarna warni yang dikenakan. Bergabung bersama mereka, lulusan Sekolah Perempuan Angkatan II, camat Pamona Puselembah, perwakilan kepala desa asal Sekolah Perempuan. Beberapa Pakaian adat yang dikenakan oleh ibu-ibu Sekolah Perempuan Mosintuwu ini berasal dari Pamona, Jawa, Mori, Toraja, Bali, Bugis dan sebagainya. Pakaian ini menggambarkan keberagaman anggota Sekolah Perempuan yang hari itu akan di wisuda. Berbeda suku dan agama membuat mereka bangga dengan kebersamaan yang ada. Tidak nampak wajah tegang atau penuh curiga seperti saat sekolah baru saja dimulai setahun yang lalu.

Setelah rangkaian kata sambutan dari camat Pamona Puselembah, dan Ibu Lies Saino mewakili pengajar Sekolah Perempuan yang mengapresiasi langkah ibu-ibu mengikuti Sekolah Perempuan, proses wisuda dimulai. Langkah kaki 87 ibu-ibu Sekolah Perempuan Angkatan II ini nampak mantap melangkah saat namanya di panggil satu persatu untuk diberikan kalung tanda kelulusan dan piagam penghargaan. Kalung tanda kelulusan diberikan oleh Lian Gogali, pendiri Sekolah Perempuan dan piagam kelulusan diberikan oleh Ibu Lies Saino, mewakili pengajar Sekolah Perempuan. Selama satu tahun, mereka bersama-sama belajar 8 topik utama di Sekolah Perempuan yaitu: Agama, Toleransi dan Perdamaian; Gender; Perempuan dan Budaya; Perempuan dan Politik; Ketrampilan Berbicara dan Bernalar; Hak Layanan Masyarakat; Hak Ekonomi, Sosial, Budaya, Hak Sipil Politik; Ekonomi Komunitas.

Dua jam sebelum acara dimulai, ratusan ibu-ibu ini berjalan kaki di jalanan kota Tentena menyerukan perdamaian di Poso, sekaligus merespon bom bunuh diri sehari sebelumnya terjadi di Kota Poso. Bukan hanya sekali ini mereka bergandengan tangan turun ke jalan menyerukan perdamaian. Setelah mengikuti Sekolah Perempuan, mereka lebih percaya diri untuk menyuarakan perdamaian dan keadilan dari perspektif mereka. Karena itu, setelah menerima pengalungan tanda kelulusan, mereka penuh percaya diri saat membacakan deklarasi Perempuan Poso. Deklarasi ini disusun bersama semalam saat konferensi Sekolah Perempuan (lihat artikel : Konferensi Sekolah Perempuan : Langkah Baru Peran Perempuan Poso) sebagai komitment mereka setelah lulus sekolah perempuan. Sambil bergandengan tangan mereka berseru:

Kami, Perempuan Poso bertekad kuat membangun perdamaian di Kabupaten Poso dan di dunia
Kami, Perempuan Poso bersatu padu berjuang untuk keadilan bagi masyarakat
Kami, Perempuan Poso bergerak bersama menguatkan kesetaraan dalam masyarakat

Deklarasi tersebut bukan omong kosong bagi mereka. Setelah deklarasi yang mereka sebut Deklarasi Perempuan Poso, Ibu Nengah, anggota Sekolah Perempuan beragama Hindu, suku Bali mengatakan dengan tegas dalam kesannya mengenai Sekolah Perempuan : “Seumur hidup saya selalu di dapur, baru pertama kali ini pegang mikrofon, dan berbicara di hadapan banyak orang seperti sekarang. Saya sebenarnya sangat gugup, tapi saya diajarkan di Sekolah Perempuan biarpun saya hanya lulusan SD tetapi saya sama dengan bapak-bapak dan ibu-ibu yang lulusan master. Karena saya sudah lulus di Sekolah Perempuan” Pernyataan ibu Nengah disambut tepuk tangan meriah seluruh peserta di ruangan yang terbuat dari bambu tersebut. Ibu Nengah melanjutkan ” Di Sekolah Perempuan, saya diajarkan dan saya percaya bahwa kalau kami bisa bersuara lebih keras dan didengarkan, perdamaian yang sesungguhnya bisa terjadi di Poso. Bukan cuma itu, tapi keadilan buat perempuan dan anak-anak ada jaminannya.” Seluruh ruangan kembali bertepuk tangan, kali ini sambil berdiri.

Seluruh lulusan Sekolah Perempuan telah bergabung di Organisasi Perempuan Poso untuk bekerja bersama mempraktekkan ide-ide yang ada dan berkembang di Sekolah Perempuan. Pendidikan di Sekolah Perempuan memberikan ruang bagi mereka untuk membuka pikiran dan hati, bergandengan tangan bekerja bersama untuk memastikan Poso damai dan adil bagi semuanya, terutama bagi perempuan dan anak. Tidak heran, sebelum wisuda, tercetus banyak harapan agar Sekolah Perempuan Angkatan III segera dibuka, sehingga lebih banyak perempuan berpendidikan sehingga dapat berpartisipasi dalam pembangunan perdamaian di Kabupaten Poso.”

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“I’d never at all have imagined that today I could gather, share stories, and even laugh freely with my Muslim sisters. The days when my small children and I were forced to leave our village, to go into the forest to survive, I thought that a day like today would never happen again. Last night, I was moved to tears with happiness, I could sleep near my Muslim sisters without fear. I was proud to see the Muslim sisters come to a region known as a Christian one without hesitation. I am so happy because the Women’s School made that possible today.”

Ibu Martince, a Women’s School Intake I member who’s now also a Women’s School facilitator, choked back tears as she spoke. Several women wiped away tears as they listened to Ibu Martince’s story, possibly imagining and feeling what she said. This emotional statement was shared at the opening of activities at the Women’s School 2nd Batch Graduation Ceremony on 4 June 2013.

The Women’s School 2nd Batch Graduation Ceremony was held on the shares on Lake Poso, at Mosintuwu’s new office, on what looked like a very colourful day. The 87 women from 24 villages in Poso Regency had studied together at the Women’s School for one year and looked radiant in their colourful traditional clothes. Gathered with the Women’s School 2nd Batch graduates was the Pamona Puselembah sub-district head, a village head representative from the Women’s School. Traditional clothes were worn by Mosintuwu Women’s School members from regions including Pamona, Jawa, Mori, Toraja, Bali, Bugis and others. These clothes showed the diversity of the Women’s School members who were to graduate that day. Different ethnic groups and religions made them proud of their unity. Their faces didn’t look tense or full of suspicion like when they started at the school a year ago.

After some welcoming words from the Pamona Puselembah sub-district head, and Ibu Lies Saino on behalf of the Women’s School teachers, who expressed appreciation for the women’s steps in joining the Women’s School, the graduation process began. The 87 Women’s School members stepped forward steadily as their names were called one by one to receive a symbolic graduation necklace and an award plaque. The graduation necklaces were presented by Lian Gogali, founder of the Women’s School, and the award plaques were presented by Ibu Lies Saino, representing the Women’s School teachers. For one year, they studied 8 main topics together at the Women’s School: Religion, Tolerance and Peace; Gender; Women and Culture; Women and Politics; Speaking and Reasoning Skills; Public Service Rights; Economic, Social, Cultural, Civil and Political Rights; and the Economic Community.

Two hours before the program began, hundreds of women walked through the streets of Tentena calling for peace in Poso and responding to a suicide bombing that occurred one day earlier in Poso. This was not the only time they would walk hand in hand down the street calling for peace. After joining the Women’s School, they were more confident voice their perspectives on peace and justice. Therefore, after receiving their graduation tokens, they were full of confidence when they read the Poso Women’s declaration. This declaration was prepared together one night at the Women’s School conference (see the article “Women’s School Conference: A New Step Forward for Poso Women’s Roles) as a sign of their commitment after graduating from the Women’s School . Hand in hand they exclaimed:

We, Poso Women, are strongly committed to building peace in Poso Regency and the world
We, Poso Women, unite to fight for justice for society
We, Poso Women, move together to strengthen equality in society.

This declaration is very meaningful for them. After their declaration, the Poso Women’s Declaration, Ibu Nengah, a Hindu Women’s School member from Bali, spoke clearly about her impression of the Women’s School: “I have spent my whole life in the kitchen and this is the first time I’ve held a microphone and spoken in front of lots of people. I’m really very nervous but even though I’m only a primary school graduate, I studied at the Women’s School and I am equal to men and women with Master’s degree. This is because I have graduated from the Women’s School”. Ibu Nengah’s statement drew applause from the participants in the bamboo room. Ibu Nengah continued “At the Women’s School, I was taught and I believe that if we can have a louder voice and be heard, peace will really happen in Poso. Not only that, but justice for women and children will be guaranteed.” The whole room applauded again, this time with stand up.

All the Women’s School graduates gathered at Poso Women’s Organisation to study together to practice the ideas that exist and thrive at the Women’s School. Education at the Women’s School provides a space for them to open their minds and hearts, and work hand in hand together to ensure that Poso is peaceful and fair for all, especially for women and children. Unsurprisingly, before the graduation ceremony, many hopes were sparked that the Women’s School 2nd BatchI would open soon, so that more women can be educated to be able to participate in the development of peace in Poso Regency.