Collective Climate Action Through the Green Hope Impact Project

Jakarta, 13 July 2026 – Climate change poses a growing threat to children’s rights, safety, and well-being. From 2016 to 2021, an estimated 43.1 million internal displacements of children were linked to floods, storms, droughts, and wildfires. Such displacement can separate families and disrupt children’s access to education, healthcare, safe water, and sanitation (UNICEF, 2026). As these challenges continue to grow, helping young people understand environmental issues and become part of the solution is more important than ever.

Responding to this concern, BINUS World-Class Scholarship Awardees initiated a series of sustainability-related projects as part of the Ambassadorship Project in the Even Semester 2025/2026. In collaboration with BINUS student volunteers and the local youth community, the projects sought to make climate education accessible, practical, and relevant to children’s daily lives.

“The main objective of this Ambassadorship Project is to raise students’ awareness of environmental issues and encourage them to adopt more sustainable habits through educational campaigns and community engagement,” said Marcelino L. F. Yappy, Student Mobility Staff for mentoring students during the project.

(Photo Editor: Mufti Al-Warits & Andi D. Ahnafandra)

One of the projects, Green Hope Impact, was led by Viriya Savoeun, a Computer Science student from Cambodia together with four other international students from the Philippines and Somalia. They engaged volunteers from BINUS University and 30 SOS Children’s Village Jakarta, creating a collaborative environment where participants from diverse backgrounds could contribute to a shared purpose.

Rather than focusing only on discussions about environmental problems, Green Hope Impact encouraged children to learn through action. Through interactive climate education sessions, participants explored topics such as waste reduction, responsible consumption, and the importance of protecting natural resources.

“Leading Green Hope Impact was a meaningful and rewarding experience. I was proud to see my peers from BINUS University and young participants from SOS Children’s Village Jakarta work together across cultures to promote responsible consumption and climate action. Most importantly, seeing the children continue caring for the green space made the experience even more valuable,” Viriya shared.

(Photo Editor: Mufti Al-Warits & Andi D. Ahnafandra)

They then put these lessons into practice by transforming used plastic bottles into gardening tools and planting 10 tree saplings in the community. To ensure the trees would continue to grow, a youth team was established to monitor and care for the saplings after the event. This encouraged participants to view climate action as an ongoing commitment rather than a one-time activity.

Although environmental issues can seem overwhelming, Green Hope Impact demonstrates that meaningful change often begins with simple actions and shared commitment. Through collaboration across cultures, ages, and backgrounds, participants showed that climate action is a shared responsibility and that everyone has a role to play in building a more sustainable future.

Author: Mita Adhisti | Editor: Debby Sonita Lubis