First Lady feeds Jakarta's poor

JAKARTA (JP): First Lady Shinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman personally delivered food packages to 400 workers at the Tanjung Priok bus station and 3,000 residents of a low-cost apartment block in Cilincing, North Jakarta, early on Saturday morning.

The packages, containing rice, chicken, vegetables and fruit, were delivered in time for sahur, the predawn meal before Muslims began their daily fast during Ramadhan.

At the same time, 120 volunteers delivered 6,600 food packages to poor people in other areas in the city, including Semper and Muara Baru, North Jakarta.

Nine non-governmental organizations took part in the program to feed the poor, which was initiated by the First Lady to spread the Ramadhan spirit.

"I also hope that through this activity, there will be more unity among the people," she said after delivering the packages to the apartment dwellers in Cilincing.

She took the opportunity to speak with people at the apartment block and the bus station, asking them about their lives and urging them to live together in peace and harmony.

Most of the residents at the apartment block in Cilincing are part-time workers at the nearby Tanjung Priok port. They usually work once a week, whenever a ship is berthed, earning a meager Rp 20,000 for their labor. (04)