German women build a bridge to Indonesian society

Christina Schott Contributor/Jakarta

Somewhere hidden in the labyrinth of bumpy streets of Pondok Gede in South Jakarta, the Modern Diakonian Campus (KDM) offers a home and school for street children.

Every arriving guest is politely greeted with a handshake by the children. The well organized grounds look perfectly clean and tidy. The kitchen in particular is spick-and-span.

The latter is due to the efforts of Christina Reger, a German nutritionist who is a member of the German speaking women's association called Die Bruecke (the bridge).

"When I first visited KDM, they still had a lot of problems with hygiene. Since I knew how to deal with it, I thought it's a good cause and I should share it with them. We not only raised the standard of hygiene to a satisfactory level, but also developed menu plans to fulfill all the nutritional needs of the children," she said.

As some of the photographs show, there are a couple of other achievements that KDM owes to Bruecke-members. "These women are very good, they don't send only money, but also personally look after the children," says Fali Lumy, director of the street children's project.

The story of the women's organization started in early 1979, as the first issue of the magazine Die Bruecke tells: "Once upon a time, there were four women who decided, that they cannot go on like this. Why don't we gather to support each other, to do something together."

So they held their first meeting at the Sari Pan Pacific, 70 women turned up and Die Bruecke was born.

In the meanwhile, Die Bruecke has become an anchor for Jakarta's German-speaking community. Many women who plan to move to Jakarta know about it before they even get to Indonesia.

"Die Bruecke is something like the first refuge for German- speaking women who follow their husbands to Jakarta but are not allowed to work," says Ilona Leschke, speaker for the Bruecke magazine.

"It is an opportunity to meet people in the same situation, to find a convenient outlet for the time here as well as to have fun together," adds Edith Krist, speaker of the event organizing committee.

Besides women from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the organization also has a couple of Indonesian members, mainly women who are married to German-speaking husbands like the vice- chairwoman Tiet Rischka-Soerdijo.

"I have lived for such a long time in Stuttgart, that I feel that I have already become a Swabian (region in Southwest Germany)," the relative of Yogyakarta's Sultan Hamengkubuwono said.

The association is professionally organized into several committees responsible for different fields like social work, event organizing, editing, counseling newcomers and fund-raising.

Their activities range from excursions and lectures about Indonesia and yoga courses to films and fashion shows. The highlights of the year usually are the charity ball and the Christmas bazaar that help to finance the 18 social projects supported by Die Bruecke; mainly institutions and organizations that help poor or disabled children to improve their education and health care.

Many of the foreign women face a rather tough time, when they first move to Jakarta. Used to full-time jobs and independence, they fall into a deep mental hole, instead of enjoying the sudden luxury of having time for themselves -- having even the housework done by domestic servants.

"One way to not lose touch with reality, is to work in one of our social projects," says Renate Icke, who is active in the social committee. "As an educationist, this volunteer engagement for a good cause helps me as well to touch base with my actual profession."

One of these projects is the KDM. As with every institution supported by Die Bruecke, the street children's home has one or two responsible spokeswomen who regularly check the use of the donations and often commit themselves to the respective projects in one or another.

While Christina Reger looks after the kitchen and takes cares of hygiene, Marlene Zinnecker, a teacher at the German International School in Jakarta, wants to support a job training for the elder children.

Zinnecker, who came to Jakarta in 2003, was secretary of Die Bruecke for the first two years. "But then I wanted more than only administrating all the social projects, I wanted to see them myself and get actively involved," she said.

As a charitable organization, Die Bruecke was founded with the aim to build a bridge between two different cultures and to impart knowledge and understanding to newcomers to Jakarta. With their strong commitment and their many social activities, the actual members have multiplied the aim in a way, something probably none of the women 26 years ago would have considered possible.

"The commitment of these women is admirable. I really enjoy working together in this group," says Ernestine Krohn, speaker of the social committee.

Info: http://die-bruecke-jakarta.org