UN Volunteers provide aid in Cipinang Besar Utara area
UN Volunteers provide aid in Cipinang Besar Utara area
JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) marked International Volunteers Day here over the weekend by giving away 200 packages of staple foods to needy people and Rp 3 million (US$400) in loans to small-scale entrepreneurs.
Project coordinator Thelma Orbase said the packages and loans were given to residents of the densely populated Cipinang Besar Utara subdistrict in East Jakarta.
On Saturday, the UNV -- the volunteer arm of the world body -- handed out the food packages containing of 3.5 kilograms of rice, a liter of cooking oil and three packs of instant noodles to the poor families of Cipinang Besar Utara in a modest ceremony at the site.
Used clothing and toys were also distributed.
The next day, the body distributed Rp 100,000 loans to 30 local residents, who will use the money to start informal businesses, such as selling goods or food on sidewalks.
"Actually, it is just a little amount that we can provide, but we really hope that it will help them get through the difficult times," Orbase said.
According to Emi Komariah, a local informal leader overseeing the loans, the credit project is a continuation of the system applied in the same community in 1993.
She said recipients were not required to pay interest but had to repay the loans in installments of Rp 3,000 per day over 40 days.
"We have a commitment that the remaining money, Rp 20,000, will be allocated for the group's members' savings -- which are also designed as a back-up for members who fail to return the loans on schedule -- and administration expenditures," Emi said.
"We'll also allocate the remaining funds as financial back-up should the government remove us from this site one day," she added.
According to her, rumors have been circulating in the neighborhood that the government would soon evict the residents.
The Cipinang Besar Utara subdistrict is inhabited by 626 families comprising 3,440 people.
According to the subdistrict's secretary Wahyono, "Some 400 families are living under poverty line."
The UNV loans, Wahyono said, were highly appreciated by the local people as it was the most suitable way for them to improve their lot, particularly at this time of crisis.
"I'm not saying that we would reject any kind of donation, but mostly if it is in the form of foodstuffs, for instance, the assistance would not be as useful because it would last only a short time.
"But these (UNV) funds really help the locals to get on with their lives," he said.
Wahyono said such help also played a strong role in stopping people from becoming involved in street crimes, such as looting and vandalism, which have escalated in the past few weeks in the capital.
In 1985, Dec. 5 was declared by the United Nations as a day to celebrate the achievements of volunteers around the world.
In Indonesia, this year's commemoration had a theme of "Solidarity in action, unity in purpose". (ind)