World Vision Indonesia fights against poverty

World Vision Indonesia fights against poverty

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Ruliyah and Yohanes Tiusrela are now happy. They
can continue their studies and achieve their dreams.

Five years ago, this brother and sister had to face harsh
reality -- joining the long line of the school drop-outs in their
early years. Due to poverty, their parents, Tiusrela and Suri,
were not able to send their offspring to school.

Living in a dilapidated house in Rengas village, just a few
kilometers from the elite Bintaro Jaya housing complex in South
Jakarta, Tiusrela had to work extremely hard to provide for his
family with food and shelter. "If necessary, my children must
0work to support the family," the father said.

Ruliyah and Yohanes, however, never gave up. A ray of hope
finally shone when they were offered to joint a sponsorship
program organized by World Vision Indonesia (WVI), a church
affiliated organization dealing with humanitarian projects.

Along with 200 other children in the Rengas and Rempoa
villages in Bintaro, they received education and health
assistance from organization.

"Education sponsorship is only part of WVI's programs to
improve the living condition of poor children in Indonesia," said
Esther Halim, associate director of communication at WVI.

The organization is currently sponsoring 45,000 children
nationwide to allow them continue their studies.

Established in the United States in l950 by Dr. Bob Pierce to
help Korean children who became victims of the war, World Vision
International has expanded its activities to cover various
humanitarian activities like its community-based health program,
and family and community development program. Presently, World
Vision is operating in more than 100 countries including
Indonesia.

World Vision started operating in Indonesia in l960 to help
the country's orphans and orphanages.

Working jointly with more than 130 local non-governmental
organizations, WVI has implemented about 300 various sponsorship
and community development projects involving more than
US$7million in funds in 22 of the country's 27 provinces. The
projects have benefited more than 1 million people throughout the
country. WVI's projects include foster-parent plans, education
and health sponsorship, community-based health programs,
community welfare and development programs.

"All of these projects should have immediate impacts on the
welfare of women and children. The best way to help women and
children break out of poverty is to help the entire village. All
the funds are used in a way that will do the most for the
children, their families and the community," Esther noted.

Due to financial and technical constraints, the organization
is now stressing its activities in Indonesia's eastern
provinces--Irian Jaya, Maluku, Central Sulawesi, East Nusa
Tenggara and East Timor.

Priority

"WVI's main priority is to serve the country's most poverty-
stricken areas which are mostly located in the eastern
provinces," said Trihadi Saptohadi, associate director of
operation of WVI.

Saptohadi admitted that the organization has faced a lot of
problems in implementing the projects in these eastern provinces.

To carry out the projects, they need full participation from
the local community, added Hendro Suwito, WVI's project manager.

"When a project starts, the affected community should manage
the project until it is completed, WVI's official will only act
as a supervisor," Suwito explained.

He went on to say that a strong emphasis on community
participation underlies the program's success. The program
engages local residents in the planning, construction and
maintenance of the neighborhood improvement, thus giving them a
sense of ownership and pride in the new services, he added.
Community involvement also increases the sustainability of
infrastructure improvement.

Residents are better able and more willing to maintain
projects they had a hand in planning and implementing, he said.
The programs seek to develop basic infrastructure with minimum
disturbance to the residents and with maximum community
involvement, added Suwito.

When a neighborhood is selected for the program, a committee
of local residents is consulted to determine which services are
urgently needed by the community, explained Suwito.

A big problem is that the people affected are mostly
illiterate and hardly touched by any development program. Citing
an example, when WVI started WATCH (Women and their Children
Health) program in Jaya Wijaya, Irian Jaya, in l991, its
officials found it hard to achieve the target.

The program, funded by the Australian Government could not
succeed unless the whole community was fully involved in the
program, Suwito said. The poor health condition of women and
children in this area was mainly caused by poverty as well as
other social problems. Women in this areas acted as house-wives
as well as income-earners, while their husbands were jobless.

It was very difficult to change the existing social condition
without causing certain friction, But it was a real challenge for
us, said Suwito.

Since most of the population were illiterate, WVI's officials
provided the information visually. Some Irian men cried when they
saw the picture of a woman carrying a baby and vegetables while
her husband walked leisurely in front of her. "Through this
picture, they realized the heavy burden suffered by their
spouses," he said.

Since then, many men have willingly engaged in WVI's program.
Aside from health issues for women and children, the program also
includes community development activities such as building clean
water network, water tanks and public toilets. They also run a
self-help cooperative and health insurance program.

"After four years of operation, the project is now managed by
the local community," Suwito said.

Although rapid progress has started to materialize in several
villages in Jaya Wijaya area, much is still at an infant stage.
Many local people still badly need guidance to be able to
implement and sustain the development programs.

"Six years is very short time when we talk about community
development and transformation of people's way and life
especially in poverty-stricken areas," Saptohadi said.

The most important point in helping these poor areas is
continuity, he said. And this requires proper collaboration
between the community, the government and the non-government
organizations operating in the country, concluded Saptohadi.