Rainbows only come after a rainshower, but in a slum village in Indonesia, rainbows can be seen 24/7. A teacher spearheaded the amazing transformation of a cluster of dilapidated homes which is now called the "Rainbow Village."
The local government of Semarang headed by its mayor Hendrar Prihadi funded the local project which was initiated by a teacher named Slamet Widodo, 54. Semarang shelled out 300 million Indonesian Rupiah ($22,300) for the project intended to attract more tourists, as per News.
The village formerly called Kampung Wonosari became popular on Facebook and Instagram after it was finished. The roofs have three different colors. There were 232 houses that were already painted and the mayor wants to extend it to 385 houses. He also did some painting jobs intended to encourage villagers to participate.
Beautification project of the municipality is expected to reach 2 billion Indonesian Rupiah, which will also extend to river cleaning and clearing of the area. Lonely Planet reported that the local residents of the "Rainbow Village" are now benefitting from the colorful makeover. Tourist visits continue to soar and the livelihood of the people have become vibrant as they sell foodstuff and souvenir items to the tourists.
The project was also considered as a social victory because it has redeemed a former unsightly slum into a colorful and beautiful community. The project also became an eye-opener not just to the residents of the "Rainbow Village" but to the whole municipality. People are now conscious about their surroundings and became vigilant in maintaining the beauty of the once dilapidated cluster of homes that are eyesores.
The beautification project is not only limited to the area but many people in Indonesia are getting inspiration from the colorful habitat. The "Rainbow Village" residents are now proud and happy to have created a masterpiece out of "trash."
