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Supporting Children in Indonesia

By: Gerard Nass

Child Support Foundation Indonesia is a non-profit organisation which founders are active in Indonesia for 25 years.  The core business is financial adoption of schoolchildren. Thanks to the contributions of hundreds of adoptive parents, schools and businesses, the Foundation enabled more than 5,000 children to go to school and have education. Besides financial adoption of schoolchildren Child Support Foundation supports numerous projects on the island of Batam, and in cities like  Bandung, Yogyakarta and Padang.

History and activities

It started 25 years ago when the Dutch family Van den Berg organised ​​settlements and aid for sea nomads in Indonesia. It led up to the construction of a hospital, a senior citizen centre, a dialysis clinic and a shelter for street children. Also a blood bank was realised in Batam.  Each year 850 adopted children are helped with schooling. The Foundation also restored entire villages and schools after the tsunami in Aceh and the earthquake in Yogyakarta and Padang. Another project was the scientific research in the fight against hepatitis B and HIV / AIDS and intensive support of children in prisons among the completed projects.

Mission

Although everybody is entitled to have a dignified and autonomous life, this right still has not been realised for substantial groups of people in Indonesia. These people have fewer chances and opportunities to successfully participate in society. Their lives are undignified because they are unable to realise their human rights and they are not autonomous due to socio-economic circumstances and, or physical limitations. Also poor children have the right to education and hence a future!

Activities

The foundation exploits and supports a variety of child welfare projects in different parts of Indonesia. Therefore one organises fund raising activities in the Netherlands. For example, in July 2013 the foundation organised a massive information and promotional campaign with the longest rice table in the world at the market square in Ede. More than 1,200 paying guests, with amongst others the city council of Ede and the Ambassador of Indonesia, enjoyed a delicious rice table which was prepared by the well-known Indonesian chef/singer Lonny Gerungan. There is also a Pasar every August. The foundation organises it  together with over 100 volunteers which attracts more than 4000 visitors each year.

Education for children

At this moment the most important projects concern the education of children in Indonesia. For many families the costs for books and school supplies are too high. In 2013 Child Support funded the education for 720 children. The project was supervised by social workers from the Setara Kita Foundation on the island of Batam.   In order to pay for it the foundation mediates ‘adoptive parents’ in the Netherlands for € 10, – per month for participating in elementary school and € 15 per month for vocational training. The project is a big success. The waiting list of applications for the tracking of both primary education and lower secondary and vocational education is still growing.

Libraries for children

In 2004 the foundation opened a library in Batam. Children can make free use of all facilities which is for example an extensive collection of books, textbooks and reference books. They receive English classes, computer education, crafts classes and there are activities held daily. The library is a huge success.  In the library the children also do their homework. With the library computers which have educational programs, the children are familiarised with its use and also benefit for their papers for school. The library is visited more than 3000 times per month on Batam and in Klaten the community centre is visited more than 2000 times. Both Batam and in Klaten workshops were held and there were drawing competitions and awareness meetings. There is also a big interest in computer training. Libraries have also been founded in the prison as well as the jail of Batam Island. In Jogjakarta a community centre was realized to provide facilities for underprivileged children the Klaten region who has suffered the consequences of multiple natural disasters. (Earthquakes, extensive floods and volcano eruptions).

‘Kids Behind Bars’

Imprisonment should be the last option for minors who come into contact with the law. In Indonesia this is not the case. Children often get long sentences for minor offences. ‘Kids Behind Bars’ is a project where supervision is provided to minors in prison on Batam. The projects also works on improving the facilities in the prison.  Besides that attention is paid to increasing the knowledge of prison staff with regard to the Universal Rights of the Child. Since 2013 ‘Child Support’ is also active in the prison on the island of Batam. There is also vocational training, and assimilation with the local population which stimulates better preparation for the return of the children to society. A social worker visits the prison a few days a week for the supervision of children.

Education young women

In cooperation with the Indonesian Foundation YKIA ‘Child Support’ we give young women in Bandung, who have not been able to finish an education, a second chance. Through professionals they are trained as tailor and escorted to an attractive workplace. In 2013, 80 young women passed the training with flying collars. They are now self-reliant and their children can go to school, thanks to the income of their mother.

Centre Yogyakarta

In May 2006, the region around Yogyakarta rocked by a violent earthquake. Whole villages were wiped out and there were 6,000 casualties. Setara Kita has provided direct assistance on behalf of Child Support Indonesia by sending some social workers. In an emergency stay, they have established a quick new school and made books and teaching materials available. The library that was built in 2006 provides in a great need and has become too small. In January 2012, a new brick building could be put into use. It has become a real cultural centre for the young and old. The children receive music and dance instruction and can make use of the library and computer facilities. Last year, workshops were organised to teach children.

Other projects

The Red Cross Blood Bank on the island of Batam in 2012 is fully equipped with new laboratory equipment. The laboratory works fine again. This project runs smoothly under the leadership of the Red Cross Batam. The blood supply of the 1.2 million inhabitants of the island is still assured. On the island of Bali, Child Support buys various containers every a year with wood carvings, stone carvings and furniture at various small little cottage industry. In this way the creators can let their children go back to school. With the proceeds from the sale of the articles helped other children in Java and on the island of Batam. In the stores that the foundation runs with our sister foundation Toko Neba, everything is for sale.

Funding

The foundation highly depends on personal donations and the cooperation with large funding-foundation like Impulsis. Funding is also received through the store Toko Neba in Ede. Toko Neba sells handicrafts which are handpicked and fairtrade. The shop is run by volunteers and all profit is donated to the projects of Child Support Indonesia.

Ambitions in the future

Education and Children’s Rights will always be the main focus of the foundation. As long as Indonesia’s government isn’t able to provide education for all of Indonesia’s children the foundation strives to support these children by providing scholarships and free facilities in order to give them the opportunities they deserve. Each year funding of these projects is a harder task as government-aid keeps being reduced.

Contact information

Stichting Child Support Indonesia Stationsweg 56 6711 PT Ede Tel: +31 318 610368 Email: info@childsupportindonesia.nl  website: http://www.childsupportindonesia.nl/