Kartika and her desire to help children<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
She is soft spoken, demure, articulate and structured, although
\nsome of her words sound like those from UNICEF brochures. But
\nthose who get to know Karina Kartika Sari Soekarnoputri, or
\nKartika, find out that she is really sincere.<\/p>\n
As the youngest daughter of former president Sukarno and his
\nJapanese wife Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno, 35-year-old Kartika is
\nknown as that other daughter, who is seemingly detached from this
\ncountry as she lives mostly abroad.<\/p>\n
Only from her occasional visits here do we get a glimpse of
\nher. But compared to her mom, who loved being in the spotlight,
\nKartika seems far more introverted.<\/p>\n
Kartika lives in New York, and owns the Kartika Soekarno
\nFoundation for Indonesian Children.<\/p>\n
She was here recently for a three-day visit as a member of the
\nU.S. National Committee for UNICEF, which was formed to raise
\nfunds for UNICEF.<\/p>\n
Along with her was former Dutch model and fellow committee
\nmember Annette Lauer, who described her as \"a very dedicated and
\ngraceful young lady who is trying to do something very honorable
\nand good with her name\".<\/p>\n
In between her activities here, Kartika gave a brief interview
\nwith The Jakarta Post and below are the excerpts from it.<\/p>\n
Question: So you're now working with Unicef.<\/p>\n
Answer: Well, yes. I have a foundation in New York, which was
\nestablished in 1999, to help Indonesian children go to school and
\nget a proper education so that they can meet the challenges of a
\nprofessional life.<\/p>\n
I was initially working with an American foundation to support
\nthe homeless in New York. But I was approached by the Indonesian
\nCouncil in New York and the executive director of the American
\nIndonesian Chamber.<\/p>\n
They had launched a campaign called \"Preventing the lost
\ngeneration\" to help Indonesian children in response to the impact
\nthat the economic crisis had made on children. Many children had
\nto drop out of school and this program helps them to stay in
\nschool.<\/p>\n
What do you think about the children here?<\/p>\n
There are many challenges. They are malnourished, they don't
\nlive in a proper environment, I think 50 percent of children are
\nliving in poverty. They do not get a proper education. There are
\nmany efforts that we should undertake to improve their lives.<\/p>\n
I visited a posyandu (health clinic), and I understand that we
\nneed to revitalize the quality because it is based on volunteers
\nand it is a community-based project. That's why I really like it.
\nI like the idea of women helping other women. Unfortunately the
\nmotivation has decreased since the crisis. We need to help more
\nibu (mothers) get knowledge on how to take care of their
\nchildren, and educate the young mothers on how to provide their
\nchildren with good health.<\/p>\n
And we also visited the schools in Magelang, Central Java. It
\nwas such a wonderful experience because we saw that the children
\nwere so happy to go to school. I asked them what they would like
\nto do when they finished school, and most of them said they would
\nlike to become doctors or teachers. At that very young age, they
\nare very socially aware, which is good news.<\/p>\n
Do you think the government is not doing enough to help the
\nchildren?<\/p>\n
I think the government is trying but it will take time to
\nimprove the lives of Indonesian children. I hope that through
\nUNICEF, Care and many organizations who are here, they can meet
\nthe children's needs.<\/p>\n
There is so much criticism directed toward your sister, the
\nPresident, what do you think about that?<\/p>\n
Well, I think it is not an easy time for Indonesia. It's a new
\ndemocracy and it doesn't have an organized system, it's a new
\nsystem. But in the long run I think it's going to go in the right
\ndirection.<\/p>\n
But there are many difficulties; you have been facing ethnic
\nconflicts, and the American media is not helping with this
\nsensational news about the rise of Islam. On the other hand I
\nbelieve that the economy is stronger. There are also some
\npositive factors.<\/p>\n
Do you feel that you are obliged to explain about the real
\nsituation here to people in the United States?<\/p>\n
Yes. That's why I'm so happy about making this trip. I'm
\nfinally getting some support from the UNICEF team in New York.
\nIt's a major project for us on this trip. We're here with the
\nUNICEF staff from New York and a journalist from Elle magazine to
\ncover this trip so that we can return to the States and send out
\nthe message of how Indonesia is now, and explain to the companies
\nand donors where the money is going to be allocated.<\/p>\n
You have mostly lived in other countries. Here, the younger
\ngeneration is not as familiar with you as they are with your
\nother siblings. What does this country actually mean to you?<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, you know, I was born in 1967 and it was a very
\ndifficult time for my father. I was born in Japan and I could not
\nreturn to Indonesia, so I grew up abroad. But I was always very
\nconcerned about my roots. I was always interested in the history
\nof Indonesia, particularly about my father.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, I do not live here. I live in New York but I'm
\ninvolved in the charitable organizations to help Indonesian
\nchildren. So even though I'm not in Indonesia, I'm trying from
\nfar away to contribute to the lives of Indonesian children.<\/p>\n
The best way is that I had a privilege to go to good schools,
\nand I'm contributing my international upbringing to the course of
\nIndonesian children.<\/p>\n
Working with this foundation is a challenge for me because the
\nAmerican public is not well-informed about Indonesia. I enjoy
\nliving in New York and trying to establish a better balance
\nbetween them and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Most of the younger generation is indifferent, and some are
\neven embarrassed about being Indonesian. Do you have a comment
\nabout that?<\/p>\n
I don't understand why they should feel embarrassed. Indonesia
\nis a beautiful country and very rich in tradition. About the
\nconflicts and all, Indonesia is newly independent, only since
\n1945. My father was the father of the country, and Pak Harto
\n(former president Soeharto) was the father of the economy. It was
\nonly recently that we had a new democracy.<\/p>\n
The United States has been a republic for over 200 years.
\nIndonesia is not as advanced but on the other hand we have a
\nwoman as president.
\nDo you have a plan to live here?<\/p>\n
For the time being, no. I'm very dedicated to my work in New
\nYork and I think I'm more useful to Indonesia abroad than here.<\/p>",
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