Supporting Orphanages

RIVALDO ARNOLD BELEKUBUN

A caregiver at the Tebet Maryamah Orphanage with her foster children, Haidar (3) and Hannah (5) at the Tebet Orphanage, South Jakarta, on Thursday (27/10/2022).

More than 4,800 orphanages throughout Indonesia, based on integrated social welfare data in 2019, accommodate 106,406 children. This fact must be faced.

Most orphanages are struggling to survive with limited finances. The results of reports in the "Unheard Voice" published by Kompas from Monday (31/10/2022) to Wednesday (2/11/2022), confirms the conditions of a number of orphanages that have not been doing well.

In an orphanage in Banten, for example, almost 90 percent of its income comes from donors. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, donations to orphanages plummeted. Managers of a number of orphanages had to work hard to survive day-to-day. In the midst of these conditions, hundreds of thousands of children in this country rely on the presence of orphanages for a better future. Some still have parents but they are placed in orphanages to be able to go to school. They are trying to reach a better future with education.

Also read:

> Orphaned Children Must Be Protected

> From the Orphanage to Achieving Success

Akhmad Mundolin (50), a resident of Kendal, Central Java, is an example of success. By living as a child in an orphanage, he had the opportunity to go to school and has eventually become the highest leader in a regional bank. There are many children who dream of becoming another “Mundolin” in the midst of conditions of orphanages being far from ideal.

There is a helping hand from the government, but it is minimal.

Different from other countries, orphanages in Indonesia are mostly managed by the private sector, religious institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). For this reason, the financial conditions of orphanages are uncertain. There is a helping hand from the government, but it is minimal.

In Indonesia, relying on the help of fellow citizens to support orphanages and mutual support of orphanages are possible. A World Giving Index (WGI) report published by the Charities Aid Foundation in 2021 stated that Indonesia was the most generous country in the world.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Children who live in Kampung Melayu Orphanage, Jakarta, take advantage of their free time to read books, on Sunday (10/30/2022).

How to attract people to support orphanages? One of the answers is accountability in the management of orphanages, not only by conveying a clear vision and mission but also by offering a detailed care program with detailed financial reporting.

In this way, residents are expected to support the operation of orphanages, especially those that are located close to them. Every rupiah donated can be used for the development of children in orphanages. With the support of residents and various other parties, we sincerely hope that orphanages in Indonesia can optimally care for the children of this country. We hope that they can go to school so that their future will be better.

In the next few decades, when the buds from these orphanages grow, we can hope for a decrease in the number of orphanages in Indonesia. May we hope that every child who still has parents can gather with their family. This condition will certainly be achieved in-line with the reduction of poverty.

(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo)