Kardinah goes to and lives with people

Kardinah goes to and lives with people

By Irawati Wisnumurti

JAKARTA (JP): During the Fourth World Conference on Women in
Beijing in 1995, an Indonesia grassroots organization, the Family
Welfare Movement (PKK), was internationally recognized for its
leading role in a global campaign against illiteracy.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization granted PKK the Noma Prize for "creating a national
movement conducted by the wives of civil servants, dedicated to
the education and social welfare of women".

Named after the late Japanese literary figure Shoichi Noma,
the prize was given to PKK for "emphasizing the fundamental
importance of educating women and girls as a means of
contributing to long-term family welfare in a rapidly changing
world".

PKK had demonstrated "the effectiveness of combining literacy
and post-literacy activities with income-generating activities as
a means of encouraging learning, alleviating poverty and
promoting family welfare".

The lofty praises were only a few given in recognition of the
organization, but they do not sit well with Kardinah Soepardjo
Rustam, the 65-year-old grandmother who has worked tirelessly to
popularize the organization and its concept throughout Indonesia.

"I haven't done anything special," dismissing the recognition
that came her way. "Without the participation of every volunteer,
I am nothing."

Born April 4, 1932, in Banyumas, Central Java, Kardinah has
since the beginning shown a strong compassion for others. She
taught her grandmother to read and write. In 1947, she became the
youngest volunteer at the Indonesian Red Cross.

She recalled being captured at Karang Mangan Hospital by the
Dutch, who then moved her and other volunteers to Purwokerto
Hospital where they were held prisoner for three months. Though
she managed to escape, the experience made her ill and she had to
have a lung operation years later.

In 1946, when her family fled from the Dutch out of
Purwokerto, she remembered seeing the sparse conditions of the
countryside and realizing how basic needs such as water were not
easily available.

"We were only five kilometers from our home, yet there was
such a difference. I knew I wanted to do something about it, but
I didn't know how to then," Kardinah recalled.

A family friend

In 1951, Kardinah married a close family friend, Soepardjo
Rustam, who had just returned from the United States Army
Infantry School in Georgia and was about to be posted as
secretary to the Military Attache at the Indonesian Embassy in
the Netherlands.

She accompanied her husband on military and diplomatic
assignments. In 1974, Soepardjo became Governor of Central Java
for two five-year terms.

As head of Central Java PKK for ten years, and as head of
Family Welfare Headquarters (1983 to 1988) -- when Soepardjo
became minister of home affairs -- Kardinah traveled to towns and
remote villages in Central Java and all over Indonesia to promote
PKK.

PKK originated at a home economic seminar in Bogor, West Java,
in 1957, which established Education on Family Welfare as a
curriculum, targeting the women's role in building a prosperous
family.

In 1967, the curriculum was implemented in Central Java and
was nurtured by the wife of then governor Munadi. In 1972,
President Soeharto instructed then home affairs minister Amir
Machmud to implement the curriculum nationally.

However, it was conducted sporadically throughout Indonesia
and was not well-organized.

"People still lack an understanding of what PKK really is,"
Kardinah said.

In Central Java, after Soepardjo replaced Munadi as governor,
Kardinah sought to continue what Mrs. Munadi started. She
thoroughly learned PKK's concept and implemented it while
modifying it, focusing on the household, paying attention to
details and visiting homes in villages and talking to locals.

Her work paid off. PKK quickly evolved and later attracted
international attention. "Other countries did not really have a
national program like PKK to reach rural women," she said.

In 1980, PKK mobilization teams were set up in provinces at
all district levels, and the national budget allocated funds for
the movement. In 1982, a home affairs ministerial decree
established the Central Mobilization Team at PKK Headquarters,
and PKK officially became a national program.

In 1983, a decree of the People's Consultative Assembly
recognized PKK as a vehicle to improve women's roles in
development.

Through the movement, Kardinah has worked to increase
awareness in family planning, nutritious eating, maintaining a
healthy living environment and improving literacy.

Kardinah's friendly and gentle ways have made her popular
among villagers. Her creativity and sense of leadership has
enabled her to lead and expand the program.

Today, PKK is a household term. Practically every neighborhood
has a PKK branch.

"PKK is effective because it has been applied in accordance
with local needs and local resources. It's been a flexible
program," she said.

Kardinah has organized training sessions for PKK cadres.
During natural disasters, such as the gaseous eruption of the
Sinila fumarole in Central Java in 1980, she would travel despite
very rough terrain and help rescue workers find missing victims.

"The budget for PKK is not large and, although the cadres are
volunteers, the programs need funding," Kardinah said. "However,
we have found many creative ways to raise funds."

For example, activists save coconut fibers, which are usually
thrown away, sell them to doormat makers and use the money for
PKK programs.

At the end of his term as coordinating minister for people's
welfare in 1993, Soepardjo fell ill.

On Kardinah's 61st birthday, he gave her a book called Small
Steps of Kardinah Soepardjo Rustam toward a Prosperous Indonesian
Family. He died a week later.

Always close to each other, it was a difficult time, but
Kardinah's inner strength enabled her to continue working.

She is now a member of the People's Consultative Assembly
(1992 to 1998), chairwoman of the Organization for Eradication of
Tuberculosis, and holds various posts at a host of organizations.

"I just continue with what Ibu Munadi started in Central Java.
Without other volunteers who are always full of ideas, I would
not have been able to do anything. I only help encourage and
motivate them," she said.

Her motto in life is a Chinese saying:

Go to the people, live with the people,

Learn from them, love them,

Start with what they know, build on what they have,

When the task is finished, the people will say:

"We did it ourselves!"