Used goods give the needy hope<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Philanthropy has long been a part of Indonesian culture. People
\nhave always donated eagerly to help the poor or victims of
\nnatural disasters. The potential is huge for raising funds from
\nthe public for various charity programs. However, the lack of
\ngovernment support leaves a lot of funds untapped. This week's
\ncover story highlights the issue.<\/p>\n
\"We'd need tons of money to go to another school, but here we
\npay nothing. The only obligation for students here is the
\nrequirement to study hard,\" says Angga Bastian.<\/p>\n
His schoolmate Endah Setyaningsih likes studying at the school
\nbecause she finds the teachers friendly.<\/p>\n
Angga, 14, and Endah, 13, are students of SMP UTAMA junior
\nhigh school, a free school for children of the poor.<\/p>\n
While other schools charge millions of rupiah for admission,
\nSMP UTAMA offers education for free. Just like regular schools,
\nSMP UTAMA -- which stands for Unggul Tanpa Memungut Biaya
\n(champion with no charge) -- has classrooms, one staff room, one
\nlibrary and one multifunction room.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know what I'd do if there was no free school like SMP
\nUTAMA,\" said Endah, who was abandoned by her parents and has no
\nidea where they are.<\/p>\n
Endah lives with her grandmother in a modest house about one
\nhour's walk from the school.<\/p>\n
Both children can envision a better future thanks to a
\ncharitable organization.<\/p>\n
There are millions of destitute children in the country who
\nhave no access to a good education and are forced to live on
\ncharity. Under the Constitution, the state is responsible for
\norphans or disadvantaged children. However, the state appears to
\nbe unable to rise to the challenge for a number of reasons, such
\nas a lack of financial resources and the corrupt attitude of its
\nofficials.<\/p>\n
But if the government were to promote charitable causes,
\nmembers of the public could help those less fortunate.<\/p>\n
Endah and Angga are able to go to school thanks to Imdad
\nMustadh'afin Foundation (Yasmin), a social foundation focusing on
\neducation and health for the poor, which owns SMP UTAMA.<\/p>\n
Unlike many other foundations that rely on foreign donors,
\nYasmin is one of the few organizations that relies on domestic
\nsources to raise money.<\/p>\n
The foundation not only collects donations, but also raises
\nmoney through its business unit Toko Barbeku, whose core business
\nis selling used articles.<\/p>\n
Unlike other shops that sell brand new products, Barbeku
\ntrades in used articles. Barbeku stands for barang bekas
\nberkualitas, which literally means \"quality used articles\".<\/p>\n
\"Besides from donors, our foundation Yasmin gets income from
\nthis shop. The shop is one of our main financial resources,\"
\nYasmin program manager Setiyo Iswoyo told the Post.<\/p>\n
Started in 1998, Yasmin was set up to help improve the quality
\nof education, which was highly affected by the 1997\/1998 economic
\ncrisis.<\/p>\n
Toko Barbeku has three models of business. It sells goods from
\ndonors, facilitates anyone who wants to sell articles for a fee
\nand practices pure business.<\/p>\n
With sales in 2000 reaching Rp 1.2 billion, the non-
\ngovernmental organization Public Interest Research Advocacy
\nCenter (PIRAC) listed the foundation among 18 social
\norganizations that can self-finance their operations.<\/p>\n
Other organizations include Mitra Mandiri and Dompet Dhuafa
\nRepublika (Jakarta), Setia Bhakti Wanita (Surabaya), Pancur Kasih
\n(Pontianak), Al Falah (Surabaya), Dharma Wulan (Jakarta), Tongku
\nSituru (Toraja) and Daarut Tauhid (Bandung).<\/p>\n
Today, Yasmin sponsors about 200 children from poor families
\nto attend elementary and secondary school.<\/p>\n
The foundation not only sponsors poor students, but also tries
\nto improve the quality of teachers, school facilities and the
\ncurriculum.<\/p>\n
\"We will soon open a clinic for autistic children. This will
\nalso serve destitute families,\" Iswoyo added.<\/p>\n
Although all the students at the school come from poor
\nfamilies, which are stereotyped as lacking discipline, the school
\nsays most of them are well behaved.<\/p>\n
\"For example, there have been no reports of smoking among our
\nstudents. We tell students to always arrive on time and to keep
\nthe school clean,\" school principal Nurhasanah told The Jakarta
\nPost, adding that the school also encourages students to develop
\nskills through extra lessons on music, sports and craft after
\nclass.<\/p>\n
While the quality of free schools is generally considered low,
\nSMP UTAMA's quality is apparently not bad. The students also take
\npride in the fact that scouts from the school won first prize in
\na competition in Limo, a district in Depok.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/used-goods-give-the-needy-hope-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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