Quality Education for Children in Indonesia

Dear GlobalGiving donors,

We are forever grateful for your continued support and wish you and your community good health and good spirits. On our end, we are doing everything possible to sustain our daily operations and continue providing services to our communities. However, we see an urgent need in West Java and Central Kalimantan: According to Indonesia’s Education Ministry, nearly 45.3 million students have been forced to study from home due to the pandemic. When schools across the country had to close, learning opportunities stopped for many children in rural areas of Indonesia due to lack of internet access and electronic devices. Unfortunately, tech is not inclusive. 

The feedback in our own community is that since distance learning has been applied, only 15% of students are actively doing their school homework. The teachers in local government schools add that they even have lost contact with some of their students. These same students are informing our staff that thoughts of dropping out of school are constantly on their minds. The school principals and the Head of the Sub-District have voiced their concerns in regular meetings and are actively looking for solutions from various stakeholders including from nonprofits in the area.

Learning loss is happening in our communities. Depriving children from receiving proper education will result in them living poorer and less fulfilling lives. 

For students in rural areas, a diversification of the delivery of courses beyond the internet needs to be considered. YUM is adapting its programs in order to ensure that children from low-income families can continue to study. YUM works with more than 30,000 people in West Java and Central Kalimantan where, even before the pandemic, more than half of the population met the criteria of poor living conditions, and consequently could not access health and education facilities. In order to continue keeping kids learning, we plan to support a total of 10 Primary Schools, 40 teachers, and over 600 students and parents.

 These are some of the activities we plan to do:

• Help teachers distribute worksheets and modules
• Provide access to computers and internet for schools and teachers without proper resources
• Provide support in internet packages for teachers and parents
• Facilitate small group learning sessions
• Provide tutoring activities for those struggling in reading, writing and maths, especially those in primary school

If you or other members of your family and friends are interested in helping our communities, this is the time to do it. We need your help now more than ever. Please help to share this project report to those you think might be interested.

Thank you for being a great supporter of our project. Without you, none of it is possible.

Make your calendar from 14th to 18th September! This project will participate in the GlobalGiving "Little By Little" Campaign.  Your $50 donation will be matched at 50% during the campaign. More information will be sent to you separately.

Stay safe and well,

Vanessa Reksodipoetro

Executive Director

Referring to the Indonesian government’s mandate, which aims to slow down the Covid-19 virus spread, YUM's management decided to close all activities involving gatherings of large crowds. Since March, Indonesian students throughout the country, including at YUM's Preschool, began to learn from home.

Sadly not every student enjoys the privilege of learning from home. Internet access and digital devices are hardly on the minds of those parents who struggle everyday to provide food on their table for the family.  Another alternative resource for learning is the national television broadcast, which is also next to impossible for those who do not own television at home.

YUM Preschool teachers compiled a learning package to cover every two weeks of school activities. The package consists of learning and assignment books. YUM's team managed to deliver the package to homes of students who lived far away from school.  The students also receive hygiene kits that include masks and soaps besides information leaflets about Covid-19 and its prevention. With the support and cooperation of parents, YUM Preschools supervise their student's activities through any medium possible such as a picture, a video or even verbal communication.  The teachers also are open to giving any advice that parents may need as they find it challenging with their children learning from home. YUM realizes the importance of coordinating with parents about students’ education and to continue to foster it in any condition.

With your continued and kind support, YUM will be able to provide uninterrupted access to learning from home for all those mentioned above. We realize it’s uncertain times for everyone due to the covid situation. But we hope that you will continue to support us, as these preschoolers need our helpnow more than ever. Thank you.