Community volunteers and literacy activism in rural Indonesia: A phenomenological study from West Java

Community-based libraries in rural Indonesia have become pivotal in promoting literacy and empowerment. Through a phenomenological lens, this study examines the lived experiences of "literacy activist" volunteers at Warung Baca Lebakwangi (Warabal), a community library in a rural West Java village. The research explores how volunteers construct meaning around their literacy activism, what motivates their sustained engagement, and how their actions impact the community. The researchers collected data via in-depth interviews, participant observation, and focus group discussions with 15 volunteers and analyzed them thematically. Findings reveal that volunteers join the literacy movement driven by value-oriented and affective motives (e.g., altruism, community duty) and personal growth needs. Over time, they internalize an identity as "literacy activists," reinforced by community recognition and tangible improvements in local reading habits. The Warabal case illustrates how socially constructed roles and shared values sustain a grassroots literacy initiative in a rural socio-cultural context. Volunteers' narratives highlight the interplay of individual motivation (the desire to "give back," religious/personal values, skill development) and social processes (norms of gotong royong or communal help, local support networks) in shaping literacy activism. This study contributes to understanding volunteer-driven literacy efforts as a product of social construction and a catalyst for informal education and empowerment in marginalized communities.