Drawing competition held for children under the freeway

JAKARTA (JP): About five hundred children aged between four and 12 gathered on a dusty road next to the Jembatan Tiga toll in Pluit, North Jakarta, to participate in a drawing competition.

The children, who come from rundown homes under the toll roads between Pluit and Cilincing in North Jakarta, were seated on used cardboard along with their parents, who were dressed in their best outfits for the special event.

The event's organizers: two twin sisters, Sri Irianingsih and Sri Rossiati, both 51, are running several schools for children who live under the freeway and in other slum areas in Greater Jakarta.

Sri Rossiati, who is also known as Rossy Admiral, said the event was held to give the children some fun.

"There are events to celebrate children's day, but they (poor children) were not invited. So we organized one for them," Rossy told The Jakarta Post.

There was momentary mayhem before the competition began at 9 a.m. as some helpers tried to distribute packages which each included a set of coloring pencils, a drawing book and a pen.

"Please sit down. Everybody will get one," one of the assistants told the children.

A few minutes later, the children gasped in amazement when two men carried out two mountain bicycles.

"Wow!" some children shouted.

"These are the top prizes for the competition," a participant, Yuni, 10, told the Post. "The other prizes are radios. But we already have a radio, so I want to win the bicycle."

A small girl, Desi, 7, said to her friend: "Those are big bicycles. I can't ride big bicycles."

After they saw the bicycles put into the back of a truck which was parked nearby, the children started to color or draw on their paper without any instructions.

While the children were doing their best to win the prizes, their mothers were encouraging them and some were even demanding.

"Put red there. Yes right there. No, no -- not that one," a mother was saying to her small son.

A few minutes later the boy threw up. His mother said he had a cold.

Another mother was patiently sitting next to her daughter, encouraging her.

"That looks good! I'm sure you are going to win the bike," she said.

A sign was hanging at the construction site of the toll road in front of where the event was held, which read: International Children's Day: Drawing Competition for the Children under the Toll Road.

However, July 23 is National Children's Day. International Children's Day falls on June 1.

When asked about the sign's error, Rian said she did not care about it.

"I didn't even know there was a difference. As long as the kids are happy," she said in Javanese.

And all the children certainly looked happy although at the end of the day, most would be disappointed at not winning the bikes. (08)