Education is a right, not a privilege
Imagine having to remove your children from school to help support your family. That’s a decision that parents in Indonesia have to make every day. We are working to provide parents with options for supporting their families and children with their own options for getting the education they deserve.
We provide skills training and vocational courses to help parents and youth get the best jobs. But even with vocational training, a child, who has had to stop his or her education to go to work, is at a disadvantage in the workforce. That’s why we also provide youth alternatives for completing their education. Take a night school in Jakarta, for example. This school, taught for three hours every Saturday and Sunday night, helps young people earn a certificate equivalent to a secondary school diploma, while still working.
Dream corners are yet another way we encourage children to continue the learning process, despite their inability to participate in formal education. This unique concept gives children a place to go to read books and engage in informal learning activities. Training is even provided on book management, cataloging and library administration, empowering children to manage their own dream corners.
Children’s rights and values serve as a foundation for our Child Friendly Schools. These schools focus on creating a harmonious relationship between teachers and students and provide a place away from the violence for learning to flourish. We support children’s development through after-school programs, including journalism, music, art, sports, culture and tradition, as well as leadership training and participation in child commissions, child forums, peer education and community awareness. Often, the inability to pay for school fees and program supplies jeopardize Indonesian children’s school attendance. We supplement these costs to help reduce drop-out rates.
To foster Early Childhood Development for Indonesia’s young children, we build preschool centers, provide educational tools, train teachers and most importantly, counsel parents on the importance of beginning the learning process early. Home-based activities are provided to rural families who live too far from preschool centers.
To supplement this service, we train mothers on health care, providing them with food and vitamins for their children under the age of five.
Children’s welfare is our top concern
Health is also a top priority for us in Indonesia. We work to build awareness about family planning, reproductive health for young couples, contraception, breast feeding and nutritional supplements within communities. To ensure babies are born healthier, education about food and nutrition, pre-natal care, and vitamin and food supplement assistance are made available to mothers-to-be. Once children are born, we provide routine check-ups for children, youths and adults and administer immunizations, educating families on the importance of vaccines.
Educating the community about health issues is critical. That’s why we work hard to make families aware of risks such as tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, and AIDS, teach good nutrition, and even how to grow home gardens for food and herbal medicines. Financial assistance for medical checkups as well as latrines, clean water facilities and healthy public sanitation go a long way in improving Indonesia’s quality of life.
Children can’t thrive unless they’re able to grow up in a safe, secure environment. Raising communities’ awareness on the Child Rights Convention and Child Protection Laws and educating people about issues related to violence against children are just some of the ways we foster this environment within communities. To give the children a place to turn, we have developed a referral system for those who have experienced violence and sponsor anti-drugs campaigns for children and youth.
Our goal is simple: To provide the people of Indonesia with choices. Help us ensure that parents can support their families, children can get an education and in the end, families have a more promising future.
