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!"