Bachelors willing to go on the block for a good cause

Bachelors willing to go on the block for a good cause

Mehru Jaffer, Contributor, Jakarta

Despite Oscar Wilde's wicked definition that philanthropy is
simply the refuge of people who wish to annoy their fellow
creatures, the simple act of giving is said to light up many a
dead spirit.

It is no wonder that members of the Forum for Executive Women
(FEW) were abuzz with excitement recently. The occasion was an
unusual auction of six eligible bachelors that was held here to
raise funds for students who want to continue their studies but
do not have the finances to do so. Tya Daud proved extremely
persuasive as the auctioneer and ended up raising Rp 18 million
for the charity. Last year at a similar auction Rp 15 million was
raised.

Tya added that she agreed to take to the stage to "sell" men
only because it was for a good cause. The six bachelors up for
auction agreed that it was precisely the thought of doing
something good for someone else that had lured them to the event
which turned out to be fun as well.

Billed as the not-to-be-missed end of the year party, FEW
organizers made sure that everything was available in plenty,
from dancing to dining. The bachelors who were auctioned ended up
with a dinner date with those who paid for them for an evening at
restaurants also involved in the charity. The money was
eventually picked up by Siri Lienau, head of the scholarship
program of the International Community and Activities Center
(ICAC), who told The Jakarta Post that the amount was just enough
to see at least five more students through university.

Since 1999 nearly a dozen students have already graduated from
the University of Indonesia and the Bogor Agriculture University,
thanks to ICAC. In fact without the help she received Janthi
Dharma S may well have remained a university dropout forever.

"What I got is not just money and training but also self-
confidence," says a beaming Janthi today. Starting more than 27
years ago as the Agape House, after the Greek word meaning
selfless love, ICAC aimed at providing a drug-free environment
for teenagers here. Over the years its work has expanded to meet
various other needs of both the local and international
community. Its leadership development scholarship program was
introduced in the thick of the economic crisis two years ago to
enable eligible students to continue their studies.

Today thousands of other people in Jakarta alone are involved
in all kinds of charitable work from raising funds to resettle
urban street children to creating shelters for the homeless.
There are a multitude of men and women here who do little else in
their life but voluntary work to help those who are deprived,
sick or vulnerable. They spend all their time founding and
managing asylums, hospitals and cultural organizations; donating
time and money to keep these agencies alive.

Most schools include community service as a prominent part of
their activities, and Dr. Jack Penha of Tolong Anak Anak, the
social service project of the Jakarta International School,
seldom tires of repeating that apart from those the students
help, they too gain tremendously from their work.

The Art of Living (AOL) foundation began with visits to
various orphanages, prisons, old people's homes and hospitals.
Since then AOL has adopted entire schools in the North Jakarta
area where conditions were found to be appalling. At AOL emphasis
is placed on introducing children to the importance of civic
awareness in the hope that young people from even the poorest of
the poor families will grow up to be selfless members of society.

For more information about the student sponsorship program of
ICAC call Siri Lienau on 75816710. For information about AOL
contact Meenu at kusum@cbn.net.id or webmaster@infotech.co.id.