Give An Education To A Trash Picker's Child

Now that the Cirendeu Community library is completed, the children of the trash pickers are coming regularly to read books. Most of the donated books are for Grades 1-4, which many  children have already read. It was clearly time for the older students to choose books that were more suitable to their age.

 Gramedia is the “Barnes and Noble” of Jakarta. On a recent Saturday, XSProject’s General Manager, Retno Hapsari, took ten of the 5^th and 6^th grade students on an outing to Gramedia to choose books for the library.

 They had never been to a bookstore before.  First, they had lunch at the mall. Many of them had never been to a mall, either. At Gramedia, imagine their amazement at seeing so many books in one place; so many choices.

 It was overwhelming and hard to decide which one book each of them could take home. They chose carefully, trying to decide if their choice, when donated to the library would be interesting to other students, too. What big decisions for these young people, but in the end, each one was happy with his book selection.

 XSProject plans to continue this program by taking fifteen 7^th, 8^th and 9^th graders to Gramedia next month and eventually the 10^th thru 12th grade students. Soon, the library will have a nice selection of books.

 Through books, the trash picker’s children learn about the world, other cultures, begin to form dreams and goals and explore topics that shape their lives. By donating to XSProject on GlobalGiving, you will support our purchase of more books for all students. During this holiday season, please consider this gift that is sure to inspire  these young people.

At XSProject, the motto for our XSEducation program is “Breaking the generational cycle of trash picking, one child at a time”.  Breaking this cycle means more to us than taking the children who pick trash with their parents off the streets and putting them in school.

As we end this year, more than 100 children and young people are receiving or have received their education through XSProject. We believe “education” is about more than sending a child of poverty to school and hoping they can learn, graduate and find a good job. Our goal is to help each student succeed in life.  

We learned early on that, because of the fragile health of trash pickers children, they are doubly challenged. This is why XSProject spends as much time and money on taking care of the health of our students as we do fulfilling our promise to give them a K-12 education. Annual eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, dental and hearing checkups as well as regular vaccinations are as necessary to the success of our students as their school work.

XSProject could have built a school just for the trash picker children in Jakarta. But we send them to public school because we believe they should assimilate with children of all social statuses regardless of economic means. Leading a successful and accomplished life includes learning social skills and respect for everyone. What they cannot learn at home, they learn from school friends, peers and adults they respect. Acquiring skills like diplomacy and self-confidence are as important as educational proficiency.

Please consider being a part of our bigger story this holiday season. GlobalGiving and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are matching your gifts beginning November 29, #GivingTuesday and throughout the month of December.  Won’t you help us break the generational cycle of trash picking, one child at a time by making a donation? 

 1. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has generously provided $500,000 in matching funds for #GivingTuesday, enabling GlobalGiving to match donations up to the first $1 million raised! Matching will begin on November 29 at midnight EST and conclude at 11:59:59 pm EST or when funds run out. 

2. All new recurring donations made from #GivingTuesday through December 31st will be matched at 200% up to $100, on the fourth donation!

3. For our partners in the UK, GlobalGiving-UK will be matching your donations at 50% match, up to £600 per unique donor per project until matching funds run out! The Christmas Giving Campaign begins at 00:00:01 am GMT on Tuesday, 29^th November and ends 14:00:00 GMT on Saturday, 31^st December 2016. There is £20,000 in matching funds available and £4,500 in bonus prizes.

4. Let your generosity overflow. Give a GlobalGiving Gift Card to someone special this holiday season.

 *Quote by Art Buchwald