Sowing the Fries of Freshwater Catfish

I am a student in University of Indonesia (UI). I registered on this campus in year 2008. As a newcomer, I was obliged to follow a series of activities that was organized by my university. One of that activities was sowing the fries of freshwater catfish into the one of the six large lakes in my university.

Each student was required to bring two fries of catfish (the catfish that age is approximately aweek). First, we, as the new students gathered at the stadium of UI and thereafter divided into several small groups. These groups were later dispersed to the six lakes that exist on my campus. In every group there was one senior student on duty to guide that group the
way toward the lake.

On the way to the lake, I asked my new friend, "why do wehave to scatter these fries of catfish? Does UI wanna make a catfish pond?". But my friend was as much in the dark as I was. We knew nothing.

Until I arrived at the lake, I found out the reason. I saw there were many anglers who were standing on the edge of the lake with their respective fishing tackle. They used fishing tools in various size and model from small nets to modest bait hook. Apparently the lake was used as a fishing area.

And then somebody told me the information, that people, who were fishing there, were the citizens who lived on the outskirts of my university. Usually the people use their catches to feed themselves and their families. If there surplus fishes, they would sale it.

"We are sowing the fries of catfish here to help the inhabitants who live near the campus area. The fries will grow up fast in several months and will be eaten by the angler's family. So the fishes are not for the university, head of the university, or students, but for people who live near campus", said somebody (I guessed she was one of the new student just like me). When you see the picture with the red bridge, i was standing under that bridge on the edge of the lake to throw my fries into the lake. :)

Year 2008 my university accepted more than 5,000 new students. If every students brought two catfish fries, it means there would be around 10,000 catfish fries. Wow. What a fantastic amount. The fries will grow up fast and used to feed the angler's family. And all the fishes are free!! The anglers only need cheap fishing tools.

I don't know since when exactly the campus prohibits fishing activity for the residents who live on the outskirts of university. But to be sure, the idea of sowing the fries of catfish is creative, simple, and applicable, easy to do. Everybody can do this. This could be one of a millions simple ways to eradicate hunger and poverty.

We can make this idea of sowing the catfish fries as an annual event. We can make lists of which and where lakes are feasible and eligible as a "home" for those fries to grow up. Ask the children, the youth, and everybody who wants to donate to join this event and sow those fries together on a sunny Sunday morning. I think it would be fun. And still, help us to fight the poverty and hunger with the simple way. It would be nice if the activity involves children. We can instill the children a feeling and sense of caring people who live around them since they are kids and explain that they can be heroes for others with a simple way.

Hunger is a global problem, but the solutions require a lot of small steps and simple ways at the local level. Why require simple ways? Because usually something simple is easy to do, applicable, and useful. There must be certain actions that can be done by everyone to achieve the world with no hunger. Such as sowing the fries of freshwater catfish just like my friends and I did.