Diary Entry: Day 7

By: Feeza Ashruff

15 July 2009

At the break of dawn on day 7, it was a sure thing to find everyone still covered in their blankets embracing every last bit of their dreams from the night before. On day 7 we knew that there were no early sessions in the morning to wake up for and everyone just slept in except the travelers who had stories due in the morning at 10.00 a.m. Everyone had been reminded the night before that the whole afternoon was free for those who had to pursue their still unwritten stories due in the following days. Hence, in the morning all the travelers were scattered doing their own things; Joanna who had a soft story to write on Batik headed off with our student guide Ike and a few other fellow travellers who were personally interested in Batik to Kampung Kauman, where they were scheduled to learn the art of Batik from Batik master Lukman Jamali. While they were off to their Batik session, the other students were once again out on the streets bargaining their hearts out to buy souvenirs for their folks back home. Occasionally the shoppers would convene and compare prices of the goods bought, to get the best deals.

The results of the Batik session at Kauman

By 2.00pm everyone began heading back to the hotel from wherever they were to meet up with Dr.Yeoh at the lobby before heading off together for the final session in this trip; meeting the children of HUMANA, a kind of day care centre for underprivileged children. However on the way to HUMANA we lost our way and was rescued by Mbak Adis a representative from the shelter. Despite getting lost, we still arrived 15 minutes before the scheduled time of 3pm and thus had plenty of time convening in the HUMANA house and getting to know the adorable kids before heading off to a schoolyard nearby to play some pre-planned games. After lots of translations and miscommunication with the children we managed to play 3 games which were 'wolf and sheep', 'ular dan naga' and also basketball. Everyone including the travelers played along, laughing and running together with the children. A few injuries occurred to the travelers- Shazwan was accidentally hit in the face and I had my foot stomped on. Painful, but I am sure that for both Shazwan and I, these injuries only made the day more memorable, as sometimes memories are made from injuries. At the end of the session we took the compulsory sedate group photograph and Dr Yeoh's favourite 'jumping shot'. We also distributed the candies, toys and books that were brought for the children in the centre. We then slowly walked back to the hotel feeling really exhausted and old.

Playing 'Ular Naga Panjang' (Long Dragon) a traditional Indonesian game with the children

The children laughing and playing with the students

When we arrived, we gathered at the lobby for tomorrow's briefing and right after the briefing everyone was once again free to do their own activities; some headed off for dinner, some to the cyber cafe writing up their blog entries while the rest went shopping.Melanie and i went for a wonderful massage and spa at a hotel near by with Farhanah as our escort. I must say that today was one of the most laidback day on the entire trip to Yogyakarta.


WRITER'S PROFILE: Feeza is currently a third year student (hopefully graduating in 2 days time) majoring in International Studies and minoring in Communication. She is an absolute crazy one. Laughing is her middle name and she is always in love with children. One of the most veteran travelers in the IN SEARCH series organized by Dr.Yeoh and Monash University Sunway Campus, Feeza is also a person with a very complex heart and mind. She hides her feelings a lot (seriously) but adores her family and friends to bits. =)

HUMANA

By: Wei Jia Xi

15 July 2009

Background Information: HUMANA is one of the NGOs in Yogyakarta which has been helping and supporting street boys, between the age of nine and eighteen. It was established in 1982, with the informal name, Girli. The organization could also be described as a cooperation between street children, the employees of HUMANA and volunteers who are working together seeking alternative possibilities for the life of the street children.

Since 2002, HUMANA started to focus on street children from the kampungs (villages). The main focus of HUMANA’s activities is prevention. Today, HUMANA has 5 bases in 5 different kampungs (villages). In this project, HUMANA chose education and health care accessibility as their main concerns. The reason is that education and health care are basic needs that marginalized children do not have.

On the 15th of July, our group of Monash travellers visited the HUMANA branch located at Yogyakarta's Malioboro Street. Earlier on, those who did not bring gifts from Malaysia went to the nearby mall to purchase some small gifts for the children of HUMANA-sweets,biscuits and a basketball. At 4pm the group arrived at the HUMANA centre, to see the smilling (albeit nervous) faces of the children and teenagers greeting them. As the HUMANA children were rather shy, a short introduction session was held as an ice breaker. The children were then told to pick a Monash traveller and they led to a nearby schoolyard for the games session.

one of the many series of games we played with the children

After the ice-breaking session, the children were especially playful and cheeky

During the intervals between the games we played, the Monash students chatted with the HUMANA children and discovered that most of the children were not orphans. Due to poverty and parents who are forced to work long hours, the children are sent to HUMANA during the day to play and study in a safe environment. Mr Presta, one of the facilitators at the centre works as the middle man between the underprivileged families of the neighbourhood and HUMANA. Being familiar with most residents in the neighbourhood, it is easier for him to act as the point of communication to approach the parents of the children he sees left unattended during the day to join the HUMANA centre. His role is also to help the underprivileged children in their homework and healthcare, but he is not meant to take over the role as a parent to these children. The children see him more as a friend than a parent.

The presence of HUMANA helps prevent these children from becoming child labourers as Mr Presta and the other HUMANA facilitators make every effort to show the parents of the children the importance of education. When asked if there were any conflicts among the parents and HUMANA facilitators, Mr Presta proudly declares "so far, no". He explained that the HUMANA facilitators pay extra attention in maintaining the balance between the parents, the children and the organisation's intervention. He adds that HUMANA wants only "to help the children, ensure the human rights of the children and ensure their access to education and health care" and that they were careful not to create problems for the children by antagonizing their parents. To do this, he says it is sometimes best for HUMANA to keep a distance from the family dynamics of the children.

Interview with HUMANA Facilitators

Mr. Presta and colleague

HUMANA has a wide range of networks including links to the Swiss Embassy which provides a mobile clinic health care service for children who have no access to health care services. HUMANA also hands out scholarships to children until they are 18 years of age. Funds for HUMANA comes mainly from public donations.

When asked if he had any regrets working for HUMANA, Mr Presta smiled and said "this is what I chose. I want to have a full time job taking care of these children. I have a happy family, I just want everyone else to have one too".

Students and HUMANA

*View more pictures of the day from our photo album


WRITER'S PROFILE: Wei Jia Xi or Cici, is studying Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communication. Coming from Chongqing, China, Cici loves to eat spicy food and has a particular interest in film and video recording. She is part of the video team, where she has learned new things, and feels thankful for having the opportunity to participate in this trip