Lets Start It All Over Again

Still you remember about my new project? I've shared about it a little here. Anyway, have you answered our questionnaire yet? Click here if you're parent and not yet answer. :)

But I'm not gonna talk about the questionnaire, of course. I assume that you already know my main purpose in doing this project, no? There are two: first is to train our little kids to share at their very early age, and second (which is actually the first purpose) is to help the unlucky children to keep going to school. A little reminder from my previous post, our help wouldn't be in form of cash. We will provide them anything to help them keep going to school, just not cash. Manipulating cash is so easy in this country and I just don't want to risk that.

In doing this start up, I have made some plannings and time line. Searching for children in need is one of the plans. There are several ways in searching for children who need help (financially): 1. by searching one by one and help each of them personally, 2. through the orphanage, and 3. through schools. Since I'm still a start up and lack of resources, I tend to do the easy way so number 1. is my last option.

I remember Indonesian's government have once made a project named GN-OTA (Gerakan Nasional Orang Tua Asuh). I'm not sure if the project is still on or not. But GN-OTA has their web named GN-OTA online where anyone can find out about how many Indonesian students who need help, their school, their name, their parents name and job. The web was last updated in 2010. Through the web I found out which school here in Balikpapan that mostly need help.

There are 2 schools in Balikpapan that are listed in GN-OTA online whom have students that are risked dropping out of school. Surprisingly, both of them are addressed near my house, Sepinggan. I came to one that have longer list. I have met the headmaster too whom then consult me to his staff who manages about poor students.

Our first meeting was nice. I didn't come officially, I didn't bring any letter or what so ever. I just came to talk to the school (the headmaster or any staff who can help) to tell them my project, and ask them if there any chance I can help their students. I told them how I choose to come to their school first. I ask them if there is any possibility that I can have their poor-students-data so I can screening it and choose which I can help. They have one hundred list, they said. There are quite many students who would gladly get some help.

I didn't get anything on our first meeting yet, they said they need to screen out their list as those list was made for last year. I was asked to come a few days later. My next meeting was with the headmasters staff accompanied with her friend. She didn't seem to catch my project's purpose on our first meeting, so she kinda interrogated me more. I get that they are a little worry for people who asks for  data about poor students to their school but end up for nothing but probably using it for irresponsible purpose. It seems like I'm not their first guest who came to ask for data about children in need.

The staff said that they had two guests form some kind of yayasan who came with the same meaning like mine before, but didn't have any further follow up for the children. The student's parents were upset since they were promised to receive some donation, then asked the school for responsibility. Those guests just disappeared and probably have used those data to ask for donation to a company or else. We can not just believe people easily in this country nowadays... if u know what I mean.

I fully understand their concern. I told them that I'm not willing to help those students with money, speaking from my own side I neither would trust them (the school side) easily.  Since I told them that I'm also willing to put the profile of the students that I'm going to help on our website one day, suddenly they have another things to concern. They were worried that if I put the students and the school name on the internet they will have more pressure from the student's parents perhaps, and not yet probably the dinas pendidikan will might stop their subsidy too thinking that the school might already get help, and other schools might get jealous and blah blah blah...

But long story short those staffs were very happy with my project, they would gladly help they said. But still they need to coordinate with the headmaster to cooperate with me. They told me then to come back for another week, giving them time to sort the new data.

So I came back a week after. As I came to their school the staff said that the headmaster has to go for a week of training, and has said that they wouldn't give any data unless there is an official letter from me. I have been meaning to give them an official letter, and would also ask  the headmaster to sign some kind of an MoU so anyone would clear what kind of help that I want to give. But since the previous deal is to meet up with the staff again so I didn't bring official letter yet. Again, I truly understand them but a little bit disappointed because the staff had my number, she could just text me to tell all of that so I didn't have to come to their school. Hence we had a deal that I should come back again the next week when the headmaster has return, and I also promised them that I would bring my official letter and the MoU letter along.

And on the next week, which is today, I text the staff to ask if I can meet the headmaster today and I also ask for the headmaster's name for the MoU letter. We actually had a deal, but I ask her again for just being polite. Sadly she didn't reply my text. So then I called her, then she said "I'm sorry, I have talked to the headmaster and he said that we will not give any data to you."

So that's it.

I'm not that disappointed... well maybe I do a little bit. Those deals have wasted my time actually. Now I have to rescheduled my time-line. And also a little sad because my aim is purely to help. But again, in this nation we all have a crisis of trust. Too much fraud already. :(

But I have prepared my self for such situations. I know that when we do something good obstacles will come from here and there. Just like when preparing for marriage, or when waiting for childbirth, or raising a kid, etc.

I still have three options: 1. go to the orphanages, 2. find children in need one by one, or 3. try for another school. Lets start it all over again....