Workshop for poor children at Cibubur<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Some 450 poor children are participating in an
\nannual three-day Camp for the Rags workshop at the Cibubur
\nCamping Site in East Jakarta, that began on Monday.<\/p>\n
Unlike their contemporaries from more privileged families,
\nthese kids did not arrive at the camp ground wearing boots and
\nheavily-laden backpacks. They wore nothing special for the
\noccasion, just their daily \"uniforms\" -- shabby clothes.<\/p>\n
The children, aged between five and 12 years old, came from
\nmany slum areas in the capital and neighboring towns to take part
\nin the program, the ninth since its inception in 1991.<\/p>\n
\"Here, the kids will learn how to develop solidarity among
\nthemselves,\" Heru Yuli Pambudi, told The Jakarta Post at the camp
\nground on Tuesday. Heru is a 15-year-old elementary school
\ndropout and also head of the organizing committee.<\/p>\n
He said the children, mostly scavengers and street kids, were
\nfrom slum areas of Cakung, Klender, and Rawa Panjang in East
\nJakarta, Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta, Bantar Gebang dump site
\nin Bekasi, and other impoverished areas around Greater Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In the camp, the children learn will act in a drama, learn to
\nparticipate in a discussion group, to organize a street parade,
\nto make speeches, to draw, and to compose stories based on their
\ndaily activities.<\/p>\n
The children from Cakung expressed their thoughts and feelings
\nwith drawings and writings, which they displayed in front of
\ntheir tents.<\/p>\n
One of the children drew an individual from the City Public
\nOrder Agency wearing a scary robot-like outfit and wrote the word
\n'kantib' at the bottom of the paper, referring to the popular
\nname of the agency's personnel.<\/p>\n
The girl lives in a hut near an authorized dump site at
\nCakung. The hut, built on state property, was once destroyed by
\npersonnel from the agency.<\/p>\n
\"My mother uses the word kantib to make my little sister do
\nwhat my mom tells her to do,\" said 12-year-old Qoriah, while
\nexplaining that she makes a living by collecting metals, such as
\niron and aluminum, from piles at the dump site.<\/p>\n
Qoriah's sister, Juleha, 10, said she could make Rp 1,000 (11
\nUS cents) every day from collecting iron, which she gives to her
\nparents.<\/p>\n
\"People burn the garbage so my friends and I have to wait for
\nthe fire to go out before scrapping the iron,\" said Juleha,
\nexplaining that she did the job after returning home from her
\nschool at State Cakung Barat Elementary School.<\/p>\n
Feri, a 10-year-old from the Bantar Gebang dump site, wrote,
\n\"... I know garbage is dirty and smelly, but my mother can buy me
\nclothes and food with it. I want to be an engineer when I grow
\nup.\"<\/p>\n
Bantar Gebang kids<\/p>\n
While other kids from other areas decorated their tents with
\nleaves and flowers, Bantar Gebang kids decorated theirs with used
\nplastic cans and other junk.<\/p>\n
Tati, 12, looking very proud of her handiwork -- a necklace of
\njunk assembled with a piece of plastic rope -- dared her friends
\nto put it on.<\/p>\n
Nobody wanted to, so she chased them between the tents.<\/p>\n
\"Wear it... Hey wear it... it looks good,\" Tati yelled.<\/p>\n
The camp was organized by poor children grouped under the Akar
\nWorkshop for Impoverished Children, which was established by the
\nJakarta Social Institute (ISJ) in 1994.<\/p>\n
Ivonne Therik, 34, head of the children avocation bureau at
\nISJ said it was during the camping program that the children were
\nusually willing to express their hopes.<\/p>\n
\"Last night, the children staged a play -- a dialog between a
\nchild and his father. In one line of the dialog, the father said
\n'You should not go to school, you must work!' and the kid replied
\n'But I can study and work as well, Pa',\" Ivonne said.<\/p>\n
She said the money to finance the camp out, some Rp 21 million
\n(approximately $2,500), was worth the benefit that the children
\ngained.<\/p>\n
\"This camp has been held since 1991, and the children who
\nparticipated in previous camps are now the organizers,\" Ivonne
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A 15-year-old, serving as public relations official for the
\nworkshop, Komala Sari, said most of the money for the workshop
\nwas provided by ISJ, but children also raised funds by singing at
\ncafes and hotels.<\/p>\n
\"We ngamen (sang) at Borobudur Hotel (in Central Jakarta) and
\nKalibata Cafe (in East Jakarta) once,\" Komala said.<\/p>\n
Ivonne said the campers also paid Rp 2,500 each to help fund
\nthe event.<\/p>\n
While the children were enthusiastically following the
\nprogram, some street vendors looked bored waiting for the
\nchildren to buy their snacks and drinks.<\/p>\n
One vendor said she did not know that the participants were
\npoor children who might not be able to afford to buy snacks.<\/p>\n
After the Post told her that, the woman said she was thinking
\nof moving to another area in the camp ground. (08)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workshop-for-poor-children-at-cibubur-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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