Kartika and her desire to help children

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

She is soft spoken, demure, articulate and structured, although some of her words sound like those from UNICEF brochures. But those who get to know Karina Kartika Sari Soekarnoputri, or Kartika, find out that she is really sincere.

As the youngest daughter of former president Sukarno and his Japanese wife Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno, 35-year-old Kartika is known as that other daughter, who is seemingly detached from this country as she lives mostly abroad.

Only from her occasional visits here do we get a glimpse of her. But compared to her mom, who loved being in the spotlight, Kartika seems far more introverted.

Kartika lives in New York, and owns the Kartika Soekarno Foundation for Indonesian Children.

She was here recently for a three-day visit as a member of the U.S. National Committee for UNICEF, which was formed to raise funds for UNICEF.

Along with her was former Dutch model and fellow committee member Annette Lauer, who described her as "a very dedicated and graceful young lady who is trying to do something very honorable and good with her name".

In between her activities here, Kartika gave a brief interview with The Jakarta Post and below are the excerpts from it.

Question: So you're now working with Unicef.

Answer: Well, yes. I have a foundation in New York, which was established in 1999, to help Indonesian children go to school and get a proper education so that they can meet the challenges of a professional life.

I was initially working with an American foundation to support the homeless in New York. But I was approached by the Indonesian Council in New York and the executive director of the American Indonesian Chamber.

They had launched a campaign called "Preventing the lost generation" to help Indonesian children in response to the impact that the economic crisis had made on children. Many children had to drop out of school and this program helps them to stay in school.

What do you think about the children here?

There are many challenges. They are malnourished, they don't live in a proper environment, I think 50 percent of children are living in poverty. They do not get a proper education. There are many efforts that we should undertake to improve their lives.

I visited a posyandu (health clinic), and I understand that we need to revitalize the quality because it is based on volunteers and it is a community-based project. That's why I really like it. I like the idea of women helping other women. Unfortunately the motivation has decreased since the crisis. We need to help more ibu (mothers) get knowledge on how to take care of their children, and educate the young mothers on how to provide their children with good health.

And we also visited the schools in Magelang, Central Java. It was such a wonderful experience because we saw that the children were so happy to go to school. I asked them what they would like to do when they finished school, and most of them said they would like to become doctors or teachers. At that very young age, they are very socially aware, which is good news.

Do you think the government is not doing enough to help the children?

I think the government is trying but it will take time to improve the lives of Indonesian children. I hope that through UNICEF, Care and many organizations who are here, they can meet the children's needs.

There is so much criticism directed toward your sister, the President, what do you think about that?

Well, I think it is not an easy time for Indonesia. It's a new democracy and it doesn't have an organized system, it's a new system. But in the long run I think it's going to go in the right direction.

But there are many difficulties; you have been facing ethnic conflicts, and the American media is not helping with this sensational news about the rise of Islam. On the other hand I believe that the economy is stronger. There are also some positive factors.

Do you feel that you are obliged to explain about the real situation here to people in the United States?

Yes. That's why I'm so happy about making this trip. I'm finally getting some support from the UNICEF team in New York. It's a major project for us on this trip. We're here with the UNICEF staff from New York and a journalist from Elle magazine to cover this trip so that we can return to the States and send out the message of how Indonesia is now, and explain to the companies and donors where the money is going to be allocated.

You have mostly lived in other countries. Here, the younger generation is not as familiar with you as they are with your other siblings. What does this country actually mean to you?

Unfortunately, you know, I was born in 1967 and it was a very difficult time for my father. I was born in Japan and I could not return to Indonesia, so I grew up abroad. But I was always very concerned about my roots. I was always interested in the history of Indonesia, particularly about my father.

Unfortunately, I do not live here. I live in New York but I'm involved in the charitable organizations to help Indonesian children. So even though I'm not in Indonesia, I'm trying from far away to contribute to the lives of Indonesian children.

The best way is that I had a privilege to go to good schools, and I'm contributing my international upbringing to the course of Indonesian children.

Working with this foundation is a challenge for me because the American public is not well-informed about Indonesia. I enjoy living in New York and trying to establish a better balance between them and Indonesia.

Most of the younger generation is indifferent, and some are even embarrassed about being Indonesian. Do you have a comment about that?

I don't understand why they should feel embarrassed. Indonesia is a beautiful country and very rich in tradition. About the conflicts and all, Indonesia is newly independent, only since 1945. My father was the father of the country, and Pak Harto (former president Soeharto) was the father of the economy. It was only recently that we had a new democracy.

The United States has been a republic for over 200 years. Indonesia is not as advanced but on the other hand we have a woman as president. Do you have a plan to live here?

For the time being, no. I'm very dedicated to my work in New York and I think I'm more useful to Indonesia abroad than here.