Improving Education In Indonesia
JAKARTA,
Indonesia - For many poor children in Indonesia, going to
school is a luxury that cannot be afforded.
The Situation:
Straits of Poverty
Karto and Nono are
7 years-old. It is the age that most kids start going to school.
But for Karto and Nono, they start their day going to a nearby
marketplace that is littered with discarded bottles. In their
eyes, the bottles are a source of income as they spend their
days collecting the bottles to be resold. In a day, they can
earn from 8000 to 8500 rupiahs, or 81 to 86 cents in US dollars.
Karto and Nono are among many children in Jakarta, who live
in poverty and sacrifice education for work, helping their
families make ends meet.
On July 23rd, Indonesia
celebrates Children's Day. But for kids like Karto and Nono,
there is little about their childhood worth celebrating. Poverty
has denied them of their right to an education. Without an
education, their chance of breaking out of their life in poverty
is minimal.
The Results:
Evi's Essay
Fourteen-year-old
Evi Hermawati never dreamed this day would come. Now, the
day would forever be etched in her memory. She had just won
first prize in a nation-wide writing contest, the first award
she had ever received. Upon walking into the fancy building
for the ceremony, she was the center of spotlight. It made
her feel nervous as well as excited.
Evi is a second-year
student in the local Tzu Chi Middle School. In a nationwide
writing contest sponsored by a private enterprise, the theme
was "Children Helping Children", and Evi's essay,
titled "How I was Forced to Move 12 Times" was selected
over 1,754 other essays, and awarded the first prize. Evi
is receiving 5 million Indonesian Rupiahs, or 500 US dollars
in prize money and gifts.
Life on the Angke
River
Before moving into
Tzu Chi's Great Love First Estate*, Evi and her family used
to live under the highway next to the polluted Angke River.
Whenever there was a high tide or a flood, Evi and her family
would find themselves soaked in water, along with their furniture.
Living in poverty forced them to be relocated a total of 12
times. Evi's essay depicted the helplessness endured by residents
along the Angke River.
It also told of
a ray of hope that came from local Tzu Chi volunteers, who,
like an invincible ship**, spared them from life in perpetual
destitution, and fulfilled her dream of a beautiful home and
an education.
Dear Diary …
Evi's fondness for
writing began when her teacher instructed the students to
begin keeping a diary. Even though buying a diary book was
too costly of a luxury for her family, her mother realized
how much it meant to her and so bought Evi her first diary
book. Since then, Evi has been keeping an account of her life.
In receiving this honor, Evi thanked her teacher and her parents,
and said she plans to save her prize money to help pay for
her family's expenses.
Like Evi, moving
into Tzu Chi's Great Love First Estate has given former Angke
River residents a new life, and a new vigor in pursuing their
dreams.
Edited from Da Ai (Great Love) News,
a broadcast program of Tzu Chi's television station. For more
information on Tzu Chi's Da Ai TV, please visit http://www.newdaai.tv.
* Tzu Chi's Great Love First Estate - a residential community
built for those in need who resided along the then polluted
Angke River. It includes schools, a free clinic, nursing homes,
stores, etc.
** The international Tzu Chi logo bears a ship that symbolizes,
among other things, a mission to spread the seeds of love
across the waters from Taiwan, where Tzu Chi originated.
