FIRST LADY DEDICATES 'CIKEAS SMART HOUSE'

Bogor, March 25 (ANTARA) - First Lady Ani Yudhoyono on Thursday dedicated a "Cikeas Smart House" which was built and managed by Tunggadewi Foundation at Cikeas village in Bogor district, West Java.

In the company of Ani Herawati Boediono (the wife of Vice President Boediono), Bogor district head Rachmant Yasin, a number of United Indonesia Cabinet Ministers' Wives Solidarity (SIKIB) members, and Tunggadewi Foundation deputy chairperson Alia Rajasa, the first lady put her signature on a plaque to mark the dedication of the smart house.

The Cikeas Smart House, built on a 1,512-square-meter plot of land, is the sixth of its kind in Bogor district and the 132nd across the country.

In her address, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono expressed hope that the existence of the Cikeas Smart House, located some 500 meters from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's private Puri Cikeas home, would support the reading interest of children and improve the skills of e women in the neighborhood.

Speaking about the advantages of the smart house, Tunggadewi Foundation deputy chairperson Aliya Rajasa explained that it had books, stationery, audio visual, computer centers for children, a skill center for women and other centers.

Aliya also explained that the mission of the Cikeas Smart House was to help reduce illiteracy by providing children with moral education and training in various skills.

According to the fist lady, the smart house would continue to be developed as part of the solution of public education problems across the country.

"Although the Cikeas Smart House is the 232nd of its kind across Indonesia, SIKIB will continue to cooperate with various parties to build such houses because our country is very big and many of its people still need educational support," the first lady said.

Therefore she expressed hope that all parties could participate in the effort to build more smart houses in various areas across the country.