In 2016, what was originally one of the 11 most rundown villages in Indonesia changed forever when public relations students from the Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang took it on as a project.
Kampung Wisata Jodipan or the Colorful Village is a small village off the bridge on Gatot Subroto Street that used to be a dump where locals threw trash into the river. Little, brown, one room shacks laced the sides of the river and rested against the bridge. They were unnoticeable, lifeless, and crumbling apart. Though the village was considered a rundown slum the students saw a beautiful blank canvas with great landscape/curb appeal potential.
The students partnered with a local paint company and together focused on rejuvenating a colorless village. With three tons of paint, the residents, artists and more painted the selected 107 houses.
Their focus was to “clean up” the village and educate the locals on sanitation. They installed trashcans, toilets and more to provide the locals the means to proper disposal methods. The colorful village began to attract thousands of Indonesians and quickly became a tourist attraction that is now spreading abroad. The villagers who still live there sell food and small souvenirs thus, generating an income for their families.
What a blessing it was to visit such a colorful place. It was as if I stepped into a Dr. Seuss book. The most amazing part however, was the people. The smiles that radiated down the alleyways and laughter of children that bounced along with them was a gift from God. I think back to what it could have been like before and the darkness and hopelessness that entangled the residents. It’s amazing what a little color can do.
Though the students, paint suppliers and painters may not have been Christians, they were the hands and feet of Jesus and he used them to change a little village’s life forever.
