Community School-Based Social Protection: Breaking Out of the Cycle of Extreme Poverty

Abstract

Extreme poverty remains a structural issue that hinders improving the quality of life of communities, especially in areas with minimal access to education, health care, and social protection. This study aims to analyze the role and effectiveness of Community School-based social protection as an alternative community empowerment strategy to break out of the cycle of extreme poverty. Using a qualitative approach with descriptive methods, this study gathered data through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation studies in communities implementing the Community School model. The results indicate that implementing Community Schools as a strategy to address extreme poverty has significant potential to improve the quality of life of children from the poorest families through boarding school education, a vocational curriculum, and a holistic approach involving health support and family empowerment. However, the study also identified significant challenges, such as limited competent teaching staff, incomplete long-term funding, the risk of social and psychological impacts on students, and targeting issues due to suboptimal data validity. Nevertheless, if these challenges can be addressed with appropriate policies, the Community School program has the potential to be an effective intervention in breaking the cycle of extreme poverty in Indonesia.