Govt to help finance foster parents group

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. has instructed provincial administrations to allocate funds from their annual budgets to help finance the activities of the Foster Parents Movement (GN-OTA).

Addressing a three-day national meeting of the movement yesterday, Yogie said the funds could be used to establish district and village offices for the movement.

"GN-OTA should be a joint movement of the government and the people. It needs help from both parties," Yogie told 800 participants from the movement's 27 chapters and 313 branches.

Yogie cited Home Affairs Ministerial Decree No. 8/1997 on the establishment of GN-OTA regional offices as the basis for his instruction.

The meeting, which ends tomorrow, has yet to hear the movement's progress report. It will also discuss guidelines for next year activities.

Established by a presidential decree in May 1996, GN-OTA financially assists handicapped and poor children, as well as children living in remote areas, to complete the nine years of compulsory basic education.

Over the past two years, GN-OTA has accumulated Rp 48,22 billion (US$13.6 million) through charity programs and donations.

Some Rp 37.4 billion of the money has been used to provide some 500,000 elementary and junior high school students with uniforms and stationery and to pay their school fees.

More than 5.2 million school children are still waiting for help. (09)