Where orphans go for Idul Fitri
Where orphans go for Idul Fitri
By Gedsiri Suhartono
JAKARTA (JP): There are still three more days until Idul Fitri begins, but the festive mood has already hit many of us -- including some of the city's orphans.
Children at three orphanages visited by The Jakarta Post were looking forward to seeing their relatives again. The orphanages also foster children form financially underprivileged families.
"It feels as if I have two worlds to live in. Here I have most of my friends and when I have the chance to go home, I have my relatives to get to know," said Komaliah, 19, a resident of the Harapan Remaja home. She will be returning to see her mother and elder siblings in Mampang, south of the city.
Being torn between visiting their relatives and staying in the relative comfort of the home is a common feeling among many of the children.
Children who have known relatives are given a 10-day vacation to return to their homes and families.
"It's nice for a little change, though I actually prefer to be here," said Andri, a 19-year-old student.
"Everything is more secure here, unlike the just-barely-enough lifestyle I'll have to adapt to at home," Musliman explained.
"It's a great treat to return home, to retain some degree of freedom. I plan to visit relatives all over, particularly my grandmother," Diana said.
Used to having a daily routine, most of the little children had no idea of how to fill their holidays.
"We'll play all day," is a common answer from the little ones.
The older residents have usually crafted some plan -- mostly a get together with their peers.
"My relatives home will be much more confined than what I am used to here. But at least it is the time to get together with them," said Kokom Komariah, 18, who will visit relatives in Karawang, east of the city.
"We've actually agreed to meet again during our break from the orphanage. Just to tend to our yearning for each other," Resada said, revealing her plans to meet up with friends from her orphanage.
A caregiver at one home cried at the thought of not seeing her charges for two weeks.
"We have become like sisters to one another," said caregiver Nur.
Living so close together has weaved a web of bonds between the children.
"At times, it feels as if the orphanage is more familiar to me than my home," Andri said.
"If anything were to happen to us, it is our orphanage family who'd be the first ones to know," Resada asserted.
Besides Harapan Remaja on Jalan Tenggiri in Eastern Jakarta, the Post visited the Daarul Aitam on Jalan K.H.Mas Mansyur in Central Jakarta. Both homes will be almost vacant by Feb. 17. The Rumah Piatu Muslimin on Jalan Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta will allow its residents to go home after Idul Fitri.
At Daarul Aitam, parents or relatives picking up the children are counseled on the child's progress and well-being.
True orphans will stay behind and endure the holiday season without their families or friends.
"We will treat them like our children as we go around town paying visits to people," said Abdullah Mu'in Lathif, head of the Harapan Remaja orphanage.
All the orphanages had similar philosophies about the need for their charges to return home for the holiday.
"They should not become alien to their relatives," said Fatma, an administrator at the Daarul Aitam orphanage.
"We are sending them home to make them worldly. Religious people should be able to accept the world in various situations," said Abdullah.
The children understand his concern, but some are reluctant to leave.
"We'll miss the luxurious facilities that we've been able to enjoy here. It never crosses our minds to appreciate all that we have until we return to our homes and truly live there," teenage Musliman said.
As the orphanage receives zakat (mandatory alms given to those less privileged) it continues the cycle by giving the homebound children basic food staples to share with their less-fortunate families. The children also go home with new clothes, shoes and a small amount of money.
"These children are going to be living from their family's regular ration, and we try not to make their vacation a burden on their parents," Fatma said.