Quality Education for Children in Indonesia

Dear kind donors,

May the New Year come with new hopes too!

As the year 2021 ended and school holidays started, we were very surprised to find out that parents and children alike requested that the tutoring program remained open. Parents felt that their children were not learning enough from online school, especially in rural areas when all they have as a means of communication with their teachers is the Whatsapp application on their phone. As for the children, besides tutoring, both the YUM community centres include a library, toys library and a playground so children can enjoy themselves during the holidays.

Let’s hear what Mrs. Sri said about her son Rijal, who spent his time at YUM for tutoring and other educational activities:

“Rijal is my first child and he is now in his 1st year of primary education. He is already able to recognize the alphabet but still lags behind in reading. Fortunately, since he regularly attends the Tutoring program, his reading has improved. His social skills are also getting better as he is now able to play in a group. Before, he always needed me to be around or else he would cry. He also can get along with other children and play confidently. Sometimes, when I drop Rijal, I bring my second child too. He is 3 years old and loves to play with the toys in the library corner.”

The pandemic is entering its third year and the situation is still unpredictable. Schools were open for a short period when cases were low, but then closed again as soon as  the new variant emerged and the number of cases rose. We are immensely grateful for your continuous support for this project.  With your kind donation we are able to create and alter programs to keep the kids in rural areas learning. Thank you!

We take this opportunity to let you know that next month, from April 4-8, GlobalGiving will be matching all your donations up to $50 at 50% for the #LittleByLittle campaign. We hope you’ll join us during this campaign - or better yet, become a fundraiser like our friend Lily!

Hello dear friends,

We are extremely grateful for the support we receive from so many of you around the world! In our goal to provide quality education to children in our working areas, one of our key priorities is making sure that parents also understand the importance of the essential role they play in their children’s growth and development. Even though 20% of the parents' genetics will influence a child’s behavior, external factors such as parenting, nutrition, friends, school and their living environment also have a great impact. This is why YUM believes that parents also need guidance and advice around child-rearing and child rights. 

In our working area in Cipanas, West Java, many of the parents of our preschoolers can be categorized as young parents. Many got married when they were 18 or 20, and were mostly triggered by their family’s financial condition.  Many of them did not continue their education and graduated only from primary school.  Therefore, their knowledge and maturity in raising a child can be considered lacking.

As the number of Covid cases have drastically reduced, last month YUM’s Early Childhood Learning Center organized mandatory Parenting Workshops for two groups of parents. The theme was “A Child’s Development at The Golden Age”. The session was delivered by YUM’s Project Manager in Cipanas, Samsul Maarif, who is a social worker and has been trained in several child development and rights programs. He is also the father of four children and definitely has many personal experiences to share with the audience. Besides his presentation, there was a possibility for discussions, questions & answers and the workshop ended with parents sharing about their own experience.

This is what Mrs. Hardianti, mother of Qiersya, 4 years old, had to say about this workshop:

“After attending the Parenting Workshop, I now have a better understanding about my daughter’s development. The golden age is a new term for me and surprisingly, there are many things that I can do to support my daughter ‘s development and prepare her for a better future. For example, imparting good values could start from home and we as parents are the best role models to do so.”

The pandemic has created a huge learning loss for children in Indonesia, and we need to continue to play a part in making sure the children have the support they need to stay motivated to learn. Will you help us to do this? This year #GivingTuesday takes place on November 30th. As you may know, this will be a global day of giving and it will be a great way to start getting into the ‘giving back holiday’ spirit! If you’d like to participate and join millions of global givers, you may donate at this link https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/yumcipanas-quality-education/  Your donation will provide additional education support to children in need in Indonesia.

Thank you again for your amazing contribution!