Last month one of Melbourne4orphanS' volunteers, Henri Shalahuddin, visited Kera island, a tiny island in the eastern part of Indonesia, near East Timor. After a long flight from Jakarta to Kupang in Western part of Timor island, the journey was continued by boat for a half an hour before they landed on the sandy beach of Kera island. What they saw on the island was really disturbing.
Pulau Kera or Kera island was home to 78 families, 317 people and they all lived in extreme poverty beyond comprehension. They lived in houses made of sticks and brances tied together as their walls and used recycled plastic sheet as their roof. Some houses had rusty zinc roof but only covered part of the houses. Inside the houses you found no furniture like chairs, tables or beds on the sandy floor. There was only one open space in most of the houses with most basic utensils like pots and buckets; there was no bedroom, livingroom, bathroom or kitchen.
The children attended school six days a week. But what they called a 'school' had nothing in common with any school in your mind except an old blackboard hung on the wall. There was no classroom, principal office, or teachers area. Don't mention to them computer, they had no ideas what it was. Students were all out of uniform; not because they didn't want to wear one, they could not afford to buy one. They came to school barefeet and sat on the sandy floor listening attentively to their teacher.
This is a gross neglegence from the government. These people are on their own. They need our help to establish even the most basic facilities like school, medical centre and religious hall. Melbourne4orphanS will sponsor some school age children from the island and put them in the list on top of the 88 children we send money every month to help with their schooling.
If you want to make donation, you can do so by sending your donation through Melbourne4orphanS' account (message: Kera Island). We will make sure that all your donation will get to them as soon as possible without any reduction.
Pulau Kera or Kera island was home to 78 families, 317 people and they all lived in extreme poverty beyond comprehension. They lived in houses made of sticks and brances tied together as their walls and used recycled plastic sheet as their roof. Some houses had rusty zinc roof but only covered part of the houses. Inside the houses you found no furniture like chairs, tables or beds on the sandy floor. There was only one open space in most of the houses with most basic utensils like pots and buckets; there was no bedroom, livingroom, bathroom or kitchen.
The children attended school six days a week. But what they called a 'school' had nothing in common with any school in your mind except an old blackboard hung on the wall. There was no classroom, principal office, or teachers area. Don't mention to them computer, they had no ideas what it was. Students were all out of uniform; not because they didn't want to wear one, they could not afford to buy one. They came to school barefeet and sat on the sandy floor listening attentively to their teacher.
This is a gross neglegence from the government. These people are on their own. They need our help to establish even the most basic facilities like school, medical centre and religious hall. Melbourne4orphanS will sponsor some school age children from the island and put them in the list on top of the 88 children we send money every month to help with their schooling.
If you want to make donation, you can do so by sending your donation through Melbourne4orphanS' account (message: Kera Island). We will make sure that all your donation will get to them as soon as possible without any reduction.
