DARE TO DREAM

One of the objectives of having a Children Activity Center (called "Sanggar" in Indonesian) is to give the children a place to study, play, and explore new things. These children have very little opportunities to see the world outside their own "kampong". They have never been exposed to, or have no access to, or simply do not know that there are so much to see out there.

These children do not know HOW to dream, or they do not even DARE to have dreams, because they do not want to end up being so disappointed as they have no access to reach their dreams. They have so little confidence level. They need encouragement, stimulation, motivation to build up their confidence, their spirit and desire to reach the dreams they need to create.

To give inspirations to the children about various occupations and professions in the workplace, form time to time ISCO tutors bring the children to various places, such as the museum, police station, post office, city landmarks, or planetarium.

One of the places the children visited was Halim Perdana Kusuma airport, which is the Indonesian military airport base. The children were so happy and excited to see real aeroplanes, especially since they were allowed to go inside the aeroplane, to sit on the presidential seat, and have a look around inside the cockpit. Some of the children said that they wanted to be a PILOT when they grow up.

The children also had a chance to visit the Fire Department, where they were able to talk to the Chief of the Fire Fighters. They learned about the risk, the courage, and the full dedication those fire fighters face. They also learned how important it is to avoid having fire light up, and to keep things safely.

ISCO makes sure that the children understand how important school is to be able to reach their dreams. There is no other way....

NEVER GIVE MONEY TO THEM

You might have seen many street children around. Especially in big cities such as Jakarta. And you feel that you should do something about it.

If you want to help these children build their dreams... to become someone... someday...
NEVER GIVE MONEY TO THEM !! It may sound horrible... but believe me... it is for their own good.

By giving money to these children directly on the streets, or whenever they beg for money... it just means you are helping them to ruin their future... you are only keeping them on the streets.
It is YOU, who keep giving money to them, who will create more and more street children !! These children will continue doing whatever they are doing right now on the streets. Begging, street singing, drugging, then stealing... robbing... and who knows what ...!! Because that is the easiest way to get money from. YOU are providing it to them... YOU are pushing them to the streets...

Are you really helping them ??? NOT AT ALL... In fact, you are so irresponsible !!

So.. how can you help ? How can you contribute ? And how can we make a difference ?

1. You can directly be involved in social activities... or create your own social activity in your neighborhood. Just look closely around you... you will find something to do for the lesser.
2. You can join a social organization as a volunteer, helping the children with their schoolwork, giving some educational activities to motivate them, helping the parents to understand better living skills
3. You can give contribution directly to the children, in the form of school textbooks, story books, educational materials, or educational toys.
4. Never spoil them with "one-shot" gifts, especially things that are way unaffordable to them.
5. Never give money to them!! Give solutions !!

Join ISCO Children Activity Center as our volunteers... Help the children pursue their dreams... Or help create dreams for them... !! Share your dreams with them... !!

Video by : edisonmanik

Find more videos like this on video.filestube.com.

I am so glad I can go to school... (better late than never !)

Sunita could not hide her happiness...
She had a very big smile when she was told that she could attend school immediately. She was already in the age of 9 when she started 1st grade primary school last year. But that had never made her ashamed or embarrased. She was so determined to go to school... just like other children.

Today, this sweet little girl is already in her 2nd grade, SD 08 Rawa Kramat, Duri Kosambi. She loves school, and she does very well in all her school work, despite all the limitations. In fact she has always been top of her class.

Nita lives with her family in a hut made of carton paper, on a piece of land they never knew of the owner, in Duri Kosambi area. She has 2 siblings , all living in the same hut. Nita's parents work as scavenegers, with very uncertain income. They live without electricity nor clean water.

It is so ironic looking at their living condition, right in the middle of the capital city of Jakarta, a modern metropolitan city. During her free time, Nita helps her parents collecting used Aqua plastic bottles and glasses. Nita was very well aware of her family situation. But she manages to make time to study, help her parents, and play with her school friends.

We can learn a lot from her... Her learning spirit, her cheerfulness, her willingness to help out her parents, her time management, her self confidence, her determination to pursue her dream...

ISCO will always support her....!!

ISCO SPONSORED AREAS

Through a network of field teams located in some of the worst affected neighborhoods of Indonesia’s cities, ISCO strives to help marginal communities, those who live in poverty, and those who are most deeply suffering due to the ongoing crisis. ISCO’s particular focus is the children of these families, who face serious obstacles in their struggle to achieve the productive futures that are accepted as normal by most middle class families. ISCO believes that all children deserve the chance to achieve their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens and leaders of Indonesia.

ISCO currently sponsors children from 24 selected slum areas, 15 in Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek area), 7 in Surabaya areas, and 2 in Medan areas.

What we mean by "selected"? Well, with limited resources that we have, financially as well as human resource wise, we want to make sure that we target the right communities, and that we will work effectively and efficiently as possible. We work systematically to achieve our targets.... which is to provide access to free education to as many Indonesian underprivileged children as possible.

Our Field Officers will search for target sponsored areas, categorized as the followings :

• slum and urban areas
• approximate population of 1,000 families within the area
• potential street children, neglected children and/or potential child labor
• income level of below Rp 500.000/month for family with more than 2 children

We provide educational supports to these families, by giving the parents guidance to better living, better family planning, better education for their children, better place to play and study, better understanding of health and cleanliness, and better chance to brighter future for their children and family.

Today, we have almost 2,000 children sponsored from the following areas :

Greater Jakarta:

• Cipinang Besar Selata, East Jakarta
• Manggarai, South Jakarta
• Guji Baru, Kebon Jeru, West Jakarta
• Lio, Depok
• Tanah Merah, Semper, North Jakarta
  
• Duri Kosambi, Tangerang
  
• Kebon Melati, Central Jakarta
• Pademangan, North Jakarta
  
• Kali Baru, North Jakarta
  
• Penjaringan, North Jakarta
• Mangga Dua, North Jakarta
  
• Pesing, West Jakarta
• Tanah Rendah, South Jakarta
• Kampung Mangga, Semper, North Jakarta
• Semanan, Tangerang
• Kebon Jahe, Kapuk, West Jakarta

Surabaya:

• Kapasari, Cental Surabaya
  
• Pabean, North Surabaya
  
• Gading, Central Surabaya
  
• Moro Krembangan, Central Surabaya
• Ujung, Central Surabaya
  
• Sidodadi, Central Surabaya
• Perak Timur, North Surabaya
  

Medan :

• Polonia
• Belawan

ISCO works together with local school authorities and formal and informal community leaders to identify the most needy families, to arrange for the children to attend public school, to support them and their families in many practical ways and to make sure that these children will not become street-children or child laborers, and to help them learn to create their own dreams.

Look around you.... with open heart

Estimates of the number of street children in Indonesia vary dramatically. But, surely they are in the tens of thousands and their lives on the streets are surely not easy.
On the streets, they are subject to new threats of abuse and exploitation. Each day the youth run the risk of being hit by cars or motorcycles; being robbed; or even being arrested or jailed. And these happen around us.... probably just around the corner from where we live, we work or we do our activities.

Sometimes we see things just with our eyes... and what do we see ? Things, materials, wealth....
Maybe we should try to see things with our heart.... then we can see : feelings, passion, sadness, hope, and love.....

There are so many ways we can make a difference to this world. Just look around you... with open heart !!

Thank you Kanako Nakajima, for sharing this video to us all.

ISCO ANNUAL CHILDREN GATHERING

Every year, usually in July, ISCO holds its annual children gathering. All sponsored children are brought together to meet in a public place, where we all share happy moments with the staffs, tutors, volunteers, donors... and just everybody who wants to spend time together with the children. We have all kinds of activities, games, children performances, plays, singing and dancing....


This year ISCO Annual Gathering was held in Ragunan Zoo. We were lucky to have HESS and CARREFOUR sponsoring the event, so we could have quite a big and fun event, with lots of presents and prizes for the children, especially those with good school performances.


Great to see these happy faces... !!
Great to see these children holding on to their dreams... !!

ISCO MAIN PROGRAMS

ISCO Foundation focuses its support on 5 main areas which it sees as crucial to providing the best help to the sponsored children:

1. CHILDREN EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT

• This program is ISCO’s main program for giving full educational support to marginalised children. Beginning from a very young age (pre-school where possible) through to secondary level, ISCO makes sure that these children can and do go to school each day, and supports them with school fees, uniforms and textbooks. ISCO maintains good relationships with teachers and school authorities, as well as with parents and monitors the intellectual ability and development of each child in order to be able to see each child have the chance to grow up to become a responsible and productive citizen.

2. CHILDREN PRE-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

• ISCO realizes that in some slum areas, there are no pre-school centres available nearby. Yet these children need pre-school activities to be able to be admitted to public schools the following year. ISCO sets up pre-school activity centres to provide these children with basic foundation in education, in some areas, where such facilities are not available.

3. CHILDREN ACTIVITY CENTERS

• ISCO realizes that in order to achieve its goals, providing formal schooling alone for these marginalised children is not adequate. Reinforcement in the areas of personal development, living values, creativity and leadership is required. For this reason, ISCO sets up Children’s Activity Centres in each neighbourhood where it operates. Children are able to visit these Activity Centres after school to do interesting and beneficial activities, instead of going to the streets or being forced to work by their parents. ISCO provides tutors, educational materials, arts and crafts activities, as well as remedial classes for children who have difficulties in certain school subjects.

4. CHILDREN HEALTH AND NUTRITION PROGRAM

• After 2 years of operation, ISCO decided to add this important program to its main education program, because more and more children were found to be under-nourished and vulnerable to illness, which consequently affected their school performance. ISCO provides food supplements and vitamins for the children, examines their physical condition on a regular basis, and introduces the parents to healthy living and a clean environment.
  

5. CHILDREN PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM

• The Children’s Protection Program is an important extension to this service and ISCO introduced this program in 2003, as indications of child abuse or domestic violence have become more apparent. ISCO always tries to let children get all right they have by giving advocacy to the parents, communities and the children.

HOW DOES ISCO WORK ?

1. To open a new sponsored area, ISCO's project officer will do a survey and gather information about some slum areas to find out about its size, population, social structure, economic condition, its customs and the tendency of children that potential to go to the street or becoming children laborer.
2. Find information and access to educational institutions, public as well as private schools, operating close to the prospective program areas, to enable children to go to schools within reach, and up to high school level.
3. Evaluate and choose a slum area to be adopted into ISCO's formal program area. The area chosen should be large enough in terms of number of families to be able to bring impact to the community, as the number of children receiving educational support from ISCO will be also large enough. (should have at least 1,000 families with income less then Rp 700,000 per month)
4. Conduct the mapping of the area (in terms of economical condition, support from parents, and children’s enthusiasm about school), build relationships with local formal and informal leaders, parents of the prospective children and the educational institutions, and then introduce ISCO's programs to the community.
5. Register the children to receive ISCO's scholarship with the approval of their parents, and strengthen relationships with the families to obtain their commitment to the program.
6. Choose the educational institutions where these children will be sent for schooling, and register the children to their respective schools. At this time, full cooperation from the headmasters as well as teachers should be evident. Should there not be an appropriate pre-school within the slum area to prepare the children to primary school, ISCO will set-up one.
7. Monitor each child's educational and social development, and provide full support to the children's psychological development. This includes preventing the children to go to the street.
8. Implement all ISCO’s programs to provide the children with all the educational supports and to limit them from going to the streets.
9. Perform home visits to the children to monitor their family upbringings.
10. Maintain relationship with the local communities in the program areas to make sure the success and continuity of ISCO Foundation's programs
    

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

ISCO Foundation began helping children in the areas of Kampung Jembatan (Cipinang Besar Selatan/East Jakarta) and Manggarai (South Jakarta), where children were forced to work on the streets, and often dropped out of school because their parents could not afford the fees and other expenses.

ISCO works together with local school authorities and formal and informal community leaders to identify the neediest families, to arrange for the children to attend public school, to support them and their families in many practical ways and to make sure that these children will not become street children or child laborers.

Beginning in 1999 by sponsoring 50 children in two areas of Jakarta, today ISCO operates in 26 slum areas – 17 in Greater Jakarta, 7 in Surabaya area and 2 in Medan. Around 2,000 children are currently sponsored, most of whom are between the ages of 5 and 16 years. ISCO monitors each child educational development progress individually and maintains a close relationship with each family.

ISCO’s particular focus is the children of those families, who face serious obstacles in their struggle to achieve the productive futures that are accepted as normal by most middle class families. ISCO believes that all children deserve the chance to achieve their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens and leaders of Indonesia.
We invite you find out more about our programs, our children’s achievements and how you can help, at our website : //www.iscofoundation.org



Providing free education for vulnerable street children is a proven and effective method of protecting these children rights. The poor, and working children, should not suffer any discrimination in learning opportunities (World Declaration on Education for All, 1990).