Empowering disadvantaged young people in Indonesia

This time I will share you a story about Fila, a young man who joined YCM in the past. He joined YCM since he was 13, about 15 years ago.  At that time, he was still studying in a junior high school in Bogor city. He lived with his mother and his two younger siblings. His mother was a house maid and had to work extra in some houses in order to fulfil the house needs, the rent and school fees of her children. Fila told me that he felt sorry for his mother who had to work extra hours for them.

Fila considered himself lucky because he knew YCM from his neighbour and decided to join us. I remember how diligent and smart he was. He was always so energetic and confident although he lived in a very humble and simple life, never I heard him complained about his life’s situation.

His family’s life was getting tougher since the children of his mother grew. The expensive school fees, life’s needs and many other things were more expensive and more to be paid. Fila then decided to talk to me and asked me if he can live at our place to lighten up the burden of his mother and to let him study more comfortably in our “house of dreams” as their rented “house” was too small to be occupied by the four of them.

Basically, Fila is a smart and diligent one, so when there was an opportunity for him to get a scholarship for his high school and university, I recommended him. He was so delighted, as it meant a lot for him and his family. He lived in our house building with his friend Ronald and help us with the house chores. But sometimes he also returned to his family's rented house and gathered with them. One night, when no one home, his rented house was burned by an insane neighbour, and they lost everything. Although it was not their house, but they lost their belongings. They were already live in a difficult life situation, and it made their situation worse. With the help of our network and friends, we assisted his family for a new rented place, things for their house and life. They bounced back and returned afresh again. While studying, Fila was also doing some freelance jobs to help his family.

Fila mentioned that joining YCM was helping him to get to know himself, to have dreams and confidence,while he did  his best to reach them. YCM accommodated his dream to work in computer and IT field. He learnt things he did not get from his school. He grew as the one who has confidence for his future and reach his dreams.

Fila has managed to change his life with the assistance of YCM and its donors, he is now a married man with one daughter and expecting the second one soon. He is working as a programmer in a start-up company, he lifts his family’s life up and his mother does not have to work as a maid anymore.

Experiencing and witnessing the progress of people to reach their dreams, to have better lives is a bliss for me, for Ibu Gesine the founder and also the donors of YCM.

Fila told me that he is so grateful for the help and assistance from YCM and the donors who let him and other who have dreams and make them come true.  He did not give up on his tough life’s situation, a better future awaited him, he said. Positive attitude of him brought positive result. He is a role model for others!

This time I would like to share you a story about Nurul. YCM’s young woman who joined our program YEIP (Youth Empowerment and Internship Program), where she learned about entrepreneurship.

In our society, even though sometimes women are taken as a second-class citizen, but the role of us in our families are very substantial. Our culture teaches us the women to look after our household, family, and parents. While life is not always going well for some women. The happy ever after life sometimes only an illusion for us. The situation is not always supporting us.  Many women have to face the reality of family’s economic problem, divorce, death, unemployed parents and or husbands. When the women no longer get financial support from their parents or husbands, but they to take their responsibilities of their younger siblings, children, and or parents to look after for. As they have a big responsibility at home, if they have no income, they have to “pawn” the future of their own selves, their siblings, children and of course the prosperity of their families. We called this group of women as vulnerable women, they are the “victim” of the condition while they have so much burden and responsibilities for their families.

Another group that also take a great role in our society is the youth. Their energy, their ability to adapt on certain situation, their creativity and their skills are the asset that we can develop into a great benefit to assist and support them, their families, and the community. The youth from underprivileged families often have no goal for their lives, no real support, no guidance or even role models, so they live a life like a kite with a broken thread. These youth typically do not know what they have to do. Many of them only hang out senselessly, becoming the street thugs, fall pray to drugs and in extreme cases are recruited by religious fanatics. Eventually if we can support the youth, guide them, give them enough skills, let them know what their best, they will be able their great energy to empower themselves and others.

The combination of strengthening women’s power, the youth and community works together, we might be able to see positive changes and improvement in many aspects, especially the economic condition.

Nurul, a young woman who joined YCM’s program YEIP (Youth Empowerment and Internship Program) has proved us that although she cannot continue her study in a formal high school, instead she joined YCM’s program and earned scholarships for her “package C” equal to a senior high school certificate she made her way by having her own food business with her family.

I witnessed the fruitful result of our program, when one day, after a late afternoon walk, I decided to buy a drink from a nearby minimart. Before entering the minimart, I heard someone called out my name from a food stall in front of it. A young woman in her early 20s was grilling her Nasi Bakar (banana leaf’s wrapped rice with the filling of chicken and or other things inside of it). I approached her and surprised to see Nurul proudly told me about what she sold and why she decided to open her own business.

After what she had been through with her family’s financial condition and entrepreneurship knowledge she learned at YCM, she decided to use her family’s skill in making foods to run their own foods’ business. As the first child of her parents and a woman, she knows exactly what responsibilities awaits her. She hopes that she could assist her parents and her younger siblings for a better life and future. She told me; how grateful she is that she joined YCM. Big thanks for the support from YCM’s family, the skills and knowledge she received, and the donators who give us the chance to change our lives to a better lives and future.

Links:

• Sola Rumah Karya a business division runs by YCM's youth