Rp 918.6m financial aid given to poor residents
Rp 918.6m financial aid given to poor residents
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Committee for Humanitarian
Programs (KKI) distributed Rp 918.6 million in financial aid to
residents of poverty-stricken Cilincing, a subdistrict in North
Jakarta, on Saturday.
The aid, handed over by KKI chairman Mar'ie Muhammad, includes
soft loans for residents to start businesses and funds to pay for
the repair of public facilities, and scholarships, food and
medicines for teenagers, infants and pregnant women respectively.
The social program will last for one year.
"This money is not charity. It's strongly hoped that the fund
can be used by residents to cope with the crisis and build this
subdistrict as well," Mar'ie, a former minister of finance in
Soeharto's regime, told journalists on Saturday.
The funds were donated by among others, the New Zealand
government and Aerowisata hotel group.
Of the total amount, Rp 50 million will be used for
administration costs.
The remaining Rp 868.6 million has been allocated as follows:
Rp 439 million for the running of 514 businesses in 10
neighborhoods in the subdistrict, Rp 91 million for building and
repairing public facilities, Rp 119.4 million for food and
medicines and Rp 219.6 million for education.
The business endeavors include trade, home industry and
agriculture. Recipients of aid are required to pay 12 percent per
annum in administration fees.
KKI said the businesses would give work opportunities to 1,370
people.
The repair work will be carried out on 14 roads, seven
drainage systems, two public bathrooms, one water pipe, several
educational facilities, 30 garbage trucks and two garbage
dumpsters.
The packages for food and medicines includes Rp 62.8 million
for 131 elderly people, Rp 19.4 million for 1,221 children, Rp 4
million for 126 pregnant women and Rp 6.1 million for 17 mosque
watchmen.
The education project will provide scholarships to 963
schoolchildren and a yearly sum of Rp 18.9 million for 21
honorary teachers.
The handover of the funds, done in collaboration with World
Vision International, was witnessed by among others, Governor
Sutiyoso, New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Michael Green and
World Bank Indonesia country director Dennis de Tray and his wife
Marie.
Others present included State Minister of National Development
Planning Boediono, military observer Rudini and a few KKI
members, including businessman Chairul Tanjung, former health
minister Sujudi and former ambassador to the United Kingdom J.E.
Habibie.
It is the second of about 60 social projects KKI plans to
organize. Donations to the organization are audited by
international accounting firm Prasetio Utomo-Arthur Andersen.
Unicef
United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) representative for
Indonesia Stephen J. Woodhouse pledged on Saturday that the
organization would continue providing food assistance to poor
people in the slum area of Bongkaran in Tanah Abang, Central
Jakarta.
The first package will be in the form of soybean milk,
Woodhouse told scores of local people during a "Care Action for
Indonesia's Malnourished Children Under Five," which was arranged
by non-governmental organization Anak Bangsa foundation.
"Actually, one of these food packages costs Rp 4,000, but we
will donate the packages to the NGO (Anak Bangsa Indonesia),
which will sell it to needy people for only Rp 500 each," he said
without further explanation.
"The revenue collected by Anak Bangsa could be used for other
social programs of the foundation," Woodhouse said in front of 40
attendees, mostly mothers carrying children.
In an attempt to gauge locals' response to Unicef's plan, he
asked the women whether they were ready to pay Rp 500 for the
Unicef-sponsored soybean milk.
The mothers spontaneously shouted "Yes!"
Woodhouse did not say when the plan would be realized, but
said details for soybean milk delivery to needy children under
five "is being negotiated with the Anak Bangsa foundation".
"The future of Indonesia depends on children under five, who
are the country's future leaders," he said, adding that
nutritious food was essential to a child's mental development.
According to Rosmailis A. Moedjitaba, chairman of the
foundation, the health condition of the country's infants should
not only attract the attention of big institutions like Unicef.
He said that all national elements should care about dying
babies, babies who are suffering from malnutrition and a shortage
of nutrients.
"Data we have gathered from some sources shows that across the
country there are many children under five who lack nutrition,"
she said.
Saturday's occasion was also attended by noted physician
Hembing Wijayakusuma and Jalaludin Rahmat, a member of Anak
Bangsa Foundation's board of advisers.
Vocal politician Amien Rais failed to appear at the site due
to a tight schedule, a committee member said.
The giving of nutritional food and beverages by public figures
to children under five in the surrounding areas of Bongkaran
highlighted the program.
The foundation said in statement on Saturday that there were
at least 24 children under five with malnutrition admitted to
several community health centers in South Sulawesi and eight
malnourished babies reported in Pontianak, Central Kalimantan,
every month.
The social program over the weekend was colored by live music
performed by three street musicians.
Many of the Bongkaran residents hailed the social program
jointly sponsored by Anak Bangsa and Unicef. (ylt/01)