School Visit Program and Charity Program
On 9 December 2018 we visited a school called Yayasan Bakti Islami Takwanul Ummah in Karawang. Venny and her spouse, Trian, who are also part of IofC family, warmly welcomed us and felt appreciated, being visited by us. Venny shared about how she and her family decided to move to Karawang, getting out her comfort zone in Jakarta and being the principal in this school. “I have been living in Karawang for 3 months with my husband and 2 little children. I found I was living my life more spiritually. Being part of Takwanul Ummah not only gives me a space to educate my students but also to encourage them to keep enhancing their skills. Most of the students are children who come from low socio-economic family backgrounds android so they lack confidence and have low self-esteem.” Trian expressed his gratitude and said, “Your presence from Jakarta shows the power of love and that love knows no distance.”
IofC Indonesia team, together with Komunitas Bicara Baik, a community with concerns about sharing kindness and love. Irna Yugaswatie, the president of IofC Indonesia, led a session on the, ‘What you are grateful for in your life’. The students had a quiet time and then shared their thoughts in pair. One student shared, “I am grateful to have many good friends, stay healthy and being blessed.” Another student said, “I am grateful that I can gather with friends here, stay fit, and have inspiring teachers.” A student shared, “I am grateful to have love from my parents and even more that I can develop myself with consistent prayer habits.”
A talk show, which was facilitated by Komunitas Bicara Baik, talked about How to Achieve Our Dreams. Akhim shared how he achieved his goals to be a lawyer. “I faced some challenges to reach my dreams and keep my dreams alive. Whatever your dream, be optimistic to pursue your dreams.” Puspa shared an inspiring story through a puppet performance. The message of the story was to push through obstacles to achieve our goals. Budi Santoso, another speaker, shared his life journey in achieving his dreams. “When I was still a high school student, I used to be very introverted. My ways to improve myself were to learn from my friends, to write my dreams, and to practice speaking in front of a mirror to get over my fear of public speaking.”
At the end of the session, Ustadz Ismail, the owner of the foundation, expressed his gratitude for our visit to Takwanul Ummah. I believe that our togetherness here happens because we have a mutual goal in creating peace. Here are some testimonials from participants: “Today is an inspiring day in that I have been motivated to be a better student. I also appreciate brothers and sisters who gave time to us.” “I learned to be more optimistic and to find out that success can be achieved through process. I got insights and ideas from today’s gathering.” Some key points from the facilitators are togetherness, friendship, inspiration, spirit and success.” We felt so blessed that we had a fruitful day with the students and enhanced our partnership with Komunitas Bicara Baik.
Reported by Yofrina Octika Gultom