Foster parents movement told to prioritize eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno told the Foster Parents Movement yesterday to focus its campaign in eastern Indonesia to help poor children attend school.

Addressing participants of the movement's congress, Try said the difficult terrain, scarcity of transportation and low income were among factors that had robbed many children in the region of education opportunities.

Any amount of assistance that helps those in the better- developed western Indonesia would be of greater benefit in eastern Indonesia, he said.

"The same amount of rupiah spent in western Indonesia would be more beneficial spent in the eastern region," he said.

Halimah Bambang Trihatmodjo, the chairwoman of the movement, responded to Try's call by promptly promising to spend half of its funds on children in the provinces of Irian Jaya, Maluku, West and East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor.

She conceded that the movement had yet to find a pattern of where to distribute the money it raises from across the country.

The three-day congress was closed yesterday by Minister of Social Affairs Inten Soeweno.

The session, which brought together 800 participants from the movement's 27 chapters and 313 branches, issued the national plan of action for the 1998/1999 term.

It aims to help 1.2 million children in 1998 and another 1.8 million the following year.

To achieve the target, the movement hopes to raise Rp 77.9 billion next year. Elementary school students were expected to receive Rp 63.7 billion, while junior high school students were expected to reach Rp 14.2 billion.

The movement has targeted raising Rp 116.9 billion for 1999. The activists failed to say how they were going to raise the money.

"We dare to (help) so many children because we saw that only after one year and four months since the movement's establishment, we have been able to, praise Allah, mobilize funds from the public to support 500,000 children," Halimah said.

President Soeharto launched the movement in May 1996. It financially assists handicapped and poor children, as well as children living in remote areas, to complete the nine-year compulsory basic education.

As of yesterday, the movement had accumulated Rp 48.22 billion raised through charity programs and sponsorship.

Some Rp 39 billion of the money has been used to provide 500,000 elementary and junior high school students with uniforms and stationery and to pay their school fees.

The movement also plans to open 4,022 district branch offices and 655,252 foster parents groups in the villages by 1999.

To support its activities, the movement has cooperated with related institutions such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Social Services, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Information and the National Family Planning Coordination Agency.

It also teamed up with the Finance Ministry's Directorate General of Taxation, the Armed Forces, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Bank Central Asia, Citibank and Amex.

Some religious institutions have also declared support for the movement. They include the Indonesian Council of Ulemas and the Indonesian Communion of Churches.

Broadcasting stations like state-owned TVRI and private RCTI and telecommunications company Indosat also showed their commitment to the program by spreading the word about the movement through the regions. (09)