Jakarta and Nurani Dunia

I have been in Jakarta for about a month now. I have spent my time volunteering with the Nurani Dunia Foundation. With four other volunteers from Universitas Gadja Mada, I was able to teach English courses everyday for about 2 and a half weeks. The original plan was that I was going to volunteer in Komunitas Proklamasi maybe once or twice a week teaching English and then spend the rest of my time translating articles from the Nurani Dunia website. However, the Pak RW, like the head of the community, was really excited and wanted the classes to be everyday. We agreed on Monday-Friday.

So I showed up on the first day, and there were about 80 children grades 1-high school! Ah. Thank goodness I was not alone, Bu Gita had come with me, we split them in half and did introduction type activities. Then the UGM volunteers , came on over from the office and helped divide the students into 4 classes-- grades 1-3, grades 4-6, junior high, and high school. So grades 1-3 and 4-6 had class at the same time everyday, one with me and the other with the volunteers reviewing what they had done with me. The volunteers were GREAT. They all spoke English fairly well and often came up with fun activities of their own to do with the children. It was really fun, very loud, and definitely the experience of a lifetime.

Komunitas Proklamasi is really interesting. It used to be kind of a conflict/slum area. After some really good programs were implemented there 6 years ago through the help of Nurani Dunia, Komunitas Proklamsi is developing into a really cool place. Drugs are not quite as big of a problem, the conflicts have definitely died down, they are starting a Go Green program, and they have built many useful community areas--such as gardens, a study house, a little art house, an adult reading area, and they are now working on building a music studio.
(the members of Cesplenk practicing in the art house with an enthusiastic audience of children from the community)

The music studio is for Cesplenk Band. The members of this band used to be anak jalanan (street children) and are all from Komunitas Proklamasi. I have gotten to know them because I also did an English course for a group of adults in this community. That was also a lot of fun.

The projects in Komunitas Proklamasi have largely been possible because of donations from companies like Sara Lee Indonesia, GE Money Indonesia, and PLN State Electric Company. Last year a fire in the community burned down 42 houses and ruined the homes of about 150 residents. But because of the community ties that these programs have helped form, the people are currently working together to rebuild the houses that were destroyed.

When we did our Perpisahan (Farewell) for the kids, they were all sobbing! And about 100 of them had shown up that day. It was so touching.

My friend Rauf helped teach too a few times a week, here he is comforting some of the crying kids

I have also spent my time attempting to translate some of the articles from the website, I am quite slow haha, oh well. Slowly but surely I'll get there.
www.nuranidunia.or.id