Red Cross provides scholarships

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Red Cross has started its foster parent program by giving aid to the elementary school pupils and junior high school students of poor families.

The pilot project is the Kramat district in Central Jakarta, where six elementary school pupils are given Rp 60,000 per annum each, and four junior high school students get Rp 90,000 each in annual scholarships.

"We chose those who almost left their studies because their parents could no longer afford the education," the chairwoman of Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Red Cross, Mrs. Uga Wiranto, said Saturday during a charity function in the Kramat district. The function was to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).

Mrs. Wiranto said that PMI's Jakarta branch wants accurate data on the number elementary pupils and junior high school students who are eligible for scholarship.

"We hope that all PMI offices at the mayoralties are ready to follow our lead," she said. (sur)