Spreading a legacy of hope through Goodwill

Spreading a legacy of hope through Goodwill

Chisato Hara, Bogor/Jakarta

Their beaming grins and enthusiastic demeanor are not the only
similarities binding the young adults gathered at Wisma Kinasih
in Bogor, West Java. They have all been at the top of their
classes since elementary school, and their parents -- farmers,
civil servants or factory workers -- managed to save enough to
support them through high school.

Upon passing their university entrance exams, however, they
were faced with the reality of an unaffordable Rp 4 million-plus
tuition.

Countless outstanding students follow their dreams of a better
life this far, but in Greater Jakarta, where the minimum wage
stands at a meager Rp 671,550, the challenge of raking together
enough to cover a tertiary education is daunting.

Many aspiring students enroll part-time and hold at least one
part-time job to make ends meet. Others give up and join the
workforce in a 220 million-strong population of which 8 percent,
or 9 million, are unemployed and 40 million are underemployed --
more often than not, in order to support younger siblings who may
yet get a shot at living their own abandoned dreams.

Local scholarships are available, but as Lenny, a self-
confessed "scholarship hunter", explained, the funding offered
ranges from Rp 50,000 to Rp 90,000 per month -- a paltry
allowance that would be swallowed up by the capital's high cost
of living within a week.

In addition, many of these scholarships are open to non-needy
students -- or if they are need-based, the criteria are not
rigidly enforced.

Merit-based scholarships are offered by tertiary institutions,
but these generally provide a partial or reduced tuition and are
dependent on available funding.

Responding to the need of talented students within this
socioeconomic context, Sri Lienau and Catherine Weenk initiated
the Leadership Development Scholarship Program under the non-
profit International Community Activity Center (ICAC) at Bona
Vista, Lebak Bulus, in 1999 -- after the financial and political
crises of 1997-1999.

"We were concerned to see students, who are (the country's)
future leaders, drop out because of financial reasons," said Sri,
who now lives in Washington, D.C. From her current residence in
Shanghai, Catherine added, "In my home country, Canada, everyone
has an equal opportunity to go to university. We therefore feel
that the same opportunity should be given to others around the
world."

While not currently sponsoring a student, the two are founders
and advisers on the Goodwill committee.

To date, the merit- and need-based program has funded 241
students at the University of Indonesia (UI) and the Bogor
Agricultural Institute (IPB), of whom 179 have graduated. For the
2004-2005 academic year, 49 students have been selected as
potential recipients -- pending the availability of individual
and corporate sponsors.

Owing to severe financial constraints itself, however, ICAC
has downsized and set up an off-shoot organization to focus on
its core programs. Professional counseling services and its
expatriate orientation program are still offered under the ICAC
name, while Yayasan Goodwill International, founded in January
2004, runs the scholarship program and a separate program to
provide preschool and elementary education to scavenger children.

The selection process and criteria are strict. Along with a
detailed application form, students must submit supporting
documents like bank statements, poverty cards, report cards and
letters of recommendation from university officials or lecturers.
Those who pass this initial screening are then called to an
interview conducted by a program committee.

Third-year students and above are eligible to apply, although
exceptions are, of course, made in the case of extreme individual
circumstances.

Once potential recipients are selected, Goodwill volunteers
spread out in search of sponsors, including those based overseas.
While the majority of sponsors are individuals, past corporate
sponsors have included British Gas of Indonesia, PT Multisari
Langgeng Jaya and Bristol & Myers Squibb Indonesia.

International organizations and institutions have also
contributed to the program, and this year, 12 students will be
supported by the Rp 60 million raised by the Forum for Executive
Women through a Bachelor Auction Night.

Sponsorship is set at Rp 5 million per student, Rp 4.4 million
of which covers tuition and school materials for one academic
year, as well as provides a living allowance for room and board,
transportation and meals; the fund is disbursed each semester to
the student's bank account. The remaining Rp 600,000 is allocated
toward administrative costs of the program.

What is unique to the Goodwill scholarship is its leadership
training program, offering courses ranging from career
development to professional development skills, from English
conversation to public speaking and debate, and from basic first
aid to personal hygiene.

The courses are all taught by professionals, educators,
homemakers, career volunteers and program administrators who
volunteer a Saturday or two to impart their experience, knowledge
and skills to students.

Scholarship recipients are required to complete at least 40
course hours, report their official university progress and
correspond with their respective sponsors at the end of each
semester, and dedicate some extracurricular time to community
service.

They must also set up and maintain an active e-mail account
for weekly notices from Goodwill. Failure to fulfill these and
other requirements without an excruciating reason results in the
immediate cancellation of sponsorship.

Nanang, an alumni, acknowledged: "We are also exposed to a lot
of foreigners in the training, so when I went in for my interview
at a multinational company, I wasn't unnerved by being
interviewed by an American executive. He's now my boss."

Each year, Goodwill provides a training retreat at Wisma
Kinasih. This year's retreat, from April 24 to April 25, hosted
22 current recipients and 10 returning alumni.

The students are responsible for arranging the training
schedule, and the central activity was a public speaking
competition in four divisions: Impromptu Speech and Speech of
Appreciation to Sponsors in English, and Persuasive Speech and
Debate in Bahasa Indonesia. Contestants drew topics randomly and
were allowed a one-minute preparation time before they ascended
to the microphone, and jury panels consisted of students, program
administrators and, inadvertently, this reporter.

The topics, also drawn up by the students, revealed their
awareness of contemporary issues and dedication to improving life
conditions -- and not just for themselves: Waste management and
recycling, reforestation, street vendors, smoking and teenage
mothers were just some of the issues covered. In the debate
final, on-campus party campaigns and factories in residential
areas were the selected topics.

Of course, no retreat would be complete without fun and games.
The students' carefree, bright faces testify to the results of
the program as they gathered in infectious camaraderie, sharing
their knowledge, skills and talents in a spirit of hope.

As the program's founders stress, "They (the students) were
and are truly inspirational people. It really was our privilege
to support them."

For more information, visit www.yayasan-goodwill.org or
alternatively, contact the program administrator at
administrator@yayasan-goodwill.org.