The Mathematics Study Program of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, has once again recorded an achievement through student participation in the Innovillage 2025 program. One of its students, Khairunnisak, together with an interdisciplinary team, successfully developed a social innovation that delivers a tangible impact on the community.
The team, consisting of Khairunnisak from the Mathematics Study Program, along with Nona Azura and Cindy Pratiwi from the Psychology Department, initiated a program entitled “Reviving Hope Through Art: The Gajah Puteh Art Therapy Program for Post-Disaster Children in Aceh.” This initiative is a psychosocial assistance program based on art and Acehnese local culture, aimed at supporting the emotional recovery of children affected by disasters. The program was motivated by the condition of children who were victims of a fire in Ateuk Pahlawan Village, Banda Aceh, who experienced psychosocial issues such as anxiety, fear, sleep disturbances, and a tendency to withdraw from social interactions.
Through this innovation, the team successfully secured funding amounting to IDR 23,100,000, which was utilized to support all stages of program implementation. These included the procurement of therapy materials, development of the program website, training sessions for parents and village facilitators, operational needs, and the team’s implementation timeline. The funding was used optimally to ensure that the program was carried out in a structured, measurable, and sustainable manner.
The program was then directly implemented in Ateuk Pahlawan Village, involving 15 children as the primary beneficiaries, as well as parents and village facilitators as part of the support system for sustainability. The activities included psychological screening of children, implementation of art therapy sessions based on local arts, psychoeducation for parents, and training for village facilitators.
The results of the implementation showed improvements in the children’s psychosocial conditions, indicated by reduced levels of anxiety and fear, as well as increased ability to express emotions in an adaptive manner. In addition, parents and village facilitators demonstrated improved understanding in supporting the emotional needs of children affected by disasters.
The success of this program not only provides direct benefits to the community but also produces an intervention model with the potential to be replicated in other regions. Furthermore, it contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the areas of health and well-being.
This achievement demonstrates that students of the Mathematics Study Program are capable of actively contributing to solving social problems through innovative, collaborative, and knowledge-based approaches.