Glamor mall hosts exhibit on community development
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
If you had the chance to take a stroll in South Jakarta's Plaza Senayan last weekend, you might have felt that there is something "unusual" -- if not ironic -- there.
Only 10 steps away from a luxurious imported timepiece shop on the first floor of the mall a boutique displayed a poster on activities of an organization offering free training and education programs for school drop-outs in Tebet, South Jakarta.
The organization's proposed annual budget was only half of the price of a watch displayed in the window of the nearby boutique.
From April 28 to April 30, the lavish mall seemed to have allocated most space on the first floor halls to display posters of community development projects instead of the usual "up to 70 percent" discount posters.
Some 75 grassroot institutions were presenting themselves through posters describing community-based projects for the poor in sectors ranging from entrepreneurship to gender empowerment.
They were finalists of the Indonesia Development Marketplace competition, initiated by the office of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, to seek innovative ideas that address challenges in providing accessible and high quality services to the poor throughout Indonesia.
The posters took the attention of very few visitors. However, a crowd gathered around them when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who visited the exhibition before the award ceremony, toured the exhibition.
Yet, instead of paying attention to what the posters were saying, they flashed their camera-equipped cell phones at the president.
Despite the irony, parties related to the event seemed to be quite optimistic of the idea of exposing the fact that poverty exists to the audience at the upper-class mall.
"The display here today demonstrates the untapped creativity of people, from all regions and all types of organizations, who are concerned with poverty," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab said at the award ceremony on Saturday.
He added that a similar competition had been held in 25 countries worldwide and claimed that Indonesia held the largest one.
The committee recorded 2,911 proposals, which were then shortlisted to 75 finalists. The finalists presented their proposals of grassroot projects on agriculture, health, water and sanitation, as well as education.
The jury chose 29 finalists proposing projects best fitted to the criteria of innovative, sustainable and pro poor. Each received grants, amounting from Rp 45 million (US$4,838) to Rp 230 million, to fund their project for a year. Ten more finalists were awarded special grants.
Among the finalists were the People's Alternative School from Bengkulu, the Free Women Federation from North Sumatra and Agro Niaga Agricultural Cooperation from East Java.
"Each of the 75 finalists will receive US$1,000 in prize money," Alwi said, adding that this year's event would be continued in the future.
World Bank representative Andrew Steer added that whether or not each finalist wins an award is less important than the fact that they have shared their knowledge and passion for innovative thinking.
Emmy Hafild from Transparency International Indonesia, a member of the jury, said that the prize was too small for the exercise and the effort done by the participants.
"In the future they should increase the prize money," she added, mentioning it was necessary to make all the participants' efforts worthwhile.
The total $550,000 grant was provided by the World Bank, USAID, the Norwegian, Australian, British, Finland, Netherlands and German governments as well as UNDP, Unicef and several other international institutions.
Head of the panel of jury La Ode Ida agreed that "bigger grants should be made available in the future as it would assure that more funds were delivered to the targeted community."(003)