'No force' in foster parents donation

'No force' in foster parents donation

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto told organizers of the
National Foster Parents Movement yesterday not to use force in
collecting donations from the public.

The President said donors should be convinced that their
contribution would be very useful for the education of poor
children.

"Their donation is an after-life investment, so (they should)
open their heart to... the needy children," Minister of Social
Services Endang Kusuma Inten Suweno quoted the President as
saying.

In his speech at the commemoration of National Education Day
in May, the President said that six million of the country's 38
million school-age children could not attend school because they
were too poor and about 400,000 others dropped out before
attaining a "basic education".

In 1994 the government made a minimum of nine years of
education compulsory to encourage all children to attend school.

In May last year, Soeharto launched a drive to help up to two
million who were in desperate need of financing.

"Until 1999 we hope that we can help up to two million
children finish their education," Inten said, adding for this
year alone at least 500,000 children can be helped through the
foster parents movement.

The minister was accompanied during the meeting by the
chairwoman of the foster parents movement Halimah Bambang
Trihatmodjo, Rugaiyah Wiranto, wife of Army Chief Gen. Wiranto
and other executives.

"Last year we collected Rp 40 billion (US$11.76 million) from
public donations," said the minister.

The movement has spent Rp 16 billion for the children. Each
primary school student from a poor family receives Rp 15,000 per
month plus uniforms, shoes and books for one year. A junior high
school student receives Rp 25,000 per month.

"We want to help the children at least until they finish their
secondary education," Inten said.

Ever since the establishment of the foster parent movement by
Soeharto, a number of organizations have followed suit. There is,
for instance, the Orangtua Bimbing Terpadu (Foster Parent
Integrated Program), for instance, awarded scholarships to 6,000
students nationwide this year. This program is known by its
Indonesian acronym of ORBIT.

The program, set up by the Amal Abadi Foundation, was
pioneered by the foundation's executive head Dr. Marwah Daud
Ibrahim and inaugurated by President Soeharto in Dec. 1995.

Under the program, the children's school fees are distributed
monthly through Simpul, a five person unit at district or village
level. (prb)