Public donations to city centers decrease sharply due to troubles<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The country's acute economic problems and
\nseemingly never-ending protests have affected almost all
\nactivities, including social service centers.<\/p>\n
Catering to the city's needy -- such as abandoned babies,
\norphans, senior citizens and the mentally ill -- the centers have
\nsaid they are facing their worst financial difficulties in
\ndecades.<\/p>\n
Public donations, the life vein of many of the city's centers,
\nhave dropped as much as 90 percent over the past few months,
\noperators told The Jakarta Post yesterday.<\/p>\n
Worse yet, the city administration is on the brink of being
\nunable to provide monthly funding, which has also been decreased.<\/p>\n
The centers are recording significant increases in the number
\nof people seeking their services at the same time their funds are
\ndrying up.<\/p>\n
Dozens of residents at the Bhakti Mulya 01 nursing home in
\nCipayung, East Jakarta, went without breakfast one morning when
\nthe center experienced a shortfall of funds.<\/p>\n
\"Last month's riots worsened our financial problems. We
\nhaven't received even a single donation since then,\" Toha Istad,
\nhead of the nursing home, said.<\/p>\n
In normal times, the home could count on at least five wealthy
\nindividuals or groups to provide donations to help finance health
\ncare, maintenance and food needs for its 65 residents, he said.<\/p>\n
Regular donators included Buddhist temples and the Dharmais
\nFoundation, chaired by former president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The nursing home is now fully relying on a monthly fund of Rp
\n7 million (US$500) provided by the City Social Welfare Agency.<\/p>\n
\"The fund is far from enough for our routine needs of some Rp
\n9.75 million per month,\" Toha said.<\/p>\n
The Harapan Sentosa 02 center for 290 mentally disabled people
\nin Cipayung is experiencing many of the same problems.<\/p>\n
No donations have been given to the center over the last two
\nmonths and City Social Services Agency funds were witheld without
\nexplanation.<\/p>\n
\"The number of patients here has increased from 220 to 290,
\nwhich is too much since this center is designed to accommodate
\nonly 200 people,\" Supranowo, an employee at the center, said.<\/p>\n
Even if the center received the city fund, which averages Rp
\n2,000 per resident per day, the management had no idea how to buy
\nenough food on such a budget, he said.<\/p>\n
Supranowo said the center was receiving some help from regular
\ndonators, including the Women's International Club, Kasih Abadi
\nChristian foundation and some neighborhood Koranic recital
\ngroups.<\/p>\n
\"They regularly provide us with foodstuffs, sanitary
\nequipment, money for the salaries of two social workers and
\nspiritual assistance,\" he said.<\/p>\n
R. Hassan, who heads the Bina Remaja Putra Utama 01 orphanage
\nin Cawang, worried that the center's 105 orphans, aged between 10
\nand 21, would suffer from serious malnutrition if they were
\nforced to continually eat nutritionally poor meals due to the
\nlack of available funds.<\/p>\n
\"Our funds were limited even before the crisis. With a budget
\nof Rp 2,000 per person per day, it's rare for the children to
\nhave eggs and meat in their daily meal,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hassan said the monthly fund from the City Social Services
\nAgency was cut in April from Rp 9.5 million to Rp 7.4 million.<\/p>\n
The orphanage also received Rp 1.5 million from the Dharmais
\nFoundation every month.<\/p>\n
\"But there is uncertainty whether the foundation will continue
\nto provide the fund due to the political situation. So we are now
\nrelying only on the city's fund,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The head of the City's Social Welfare Agency, Emon Setia
\nSumantri, admitted that funds for the needy were limited.<\/p>\n
\"Moreover, we have not received funds from the city
\nadministration for the 1998\/1999 fiscal year city budget, which
\nis usually disbursed in May.<\/p>\n
\"There is uncertainty whether the amount will still be the
\nsame as last year or if it will be decreased in line with the
\ndrop in the city budget,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The budget for the 25 city-owned social service centers, like
\nthe previous budget, is Rp 4.5 billion. The finances are also
\nallocated to 95 private orphanages.<\/p>\n
In past years, the city provided Rp 2,000 per person to the
\ncity-owned centers and Rp 1,000 per person to the private
\norphanages.<\/p>\n
Emon also emphasized the fact that public donations had dried
\nup due to the economic turmoil.<\/p>\n
\"There's nothing the centers can do except work hard to find
\npublic donations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Most social workers are unsure where they will find the
\nfinances to keep their operations running over the next few
\nmonths. Many said they prayed to God that donations would somehow
\ncome in.<\/p>\n
\"We just hope for God's help while we try to make do with what
\nwe get,\" Suparsih, head of the Tunas Bangsa 01 orphanage in
\nCipayung, said.<\/p>\n
Donations to the center, which houses orphans under the age of
\nfive, dropped drastically after last month's riots since many of
\nits donors were victims of the unrest, she said. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/public-donations-to-city-centers-decrease-sharply-due-to-troubles-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}