4 minute read
Giving Back While In Jakarta
Giving Back While Living in Jakarta
Volunteering with ANZA Social Welfare
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By Zani van Staden, Social Welfare Co-Director with Majorie Rinckes, ANZA Volunteer Photos by Zani van Staden and Majorie Rinckes
Adjusting to a different country can be very challenging, especially if your normal routine and work-life change significantly. Many of us seek a sense of community, purpose and fulfilment. This is where ANZA can play a big role in connecting people and creating various opportunities for socialising, learning and volunteering. ANZA’s Social Welfare Programme is run by a team of dedicated volunteers who give their time, skills and effort to help out with the 17 projects that we currently support. There are many different ways in which you can get involved, from project coordination, admin, finance and teaching to marketing and events. This issue we are celebrating two of our members who have made a big impact during their time in Jakarta. We would like to thank Marjorie Rinckes and Catherine Anderson for everything they have contributed to the Social Welfare projects and the wider ANZA community. We (and the kids!) will miss them a lot and wish them all the best with their new adventures!
How did you get involved with Kampung kids? Shortly after I arrived, I met Indu, both our husbands worked at the NZ Embassy. She told me about a volunteer position at Kampung Kids that she was going to be involved with and it all started from there.
Can you tell us a little more about Kampung Kids and the kind of volunteering you did? Every Monday morning, I go to Kampung Kids for an hour and take a class of between seven to ten children, aged 4 and 5 years old. We start by singing some well-known songs such as “Heads, shoulders knees and toes” and “If you're happy”. We then have mat and worksheet time, where we learn numbers from one to ten in Bahasa Indonesia and English. (You don't need to know Bahasa to volunteer here!). We then do an art activity (which I usually get from Pinterest). We have made bear masks from cotton wool balls, Octopus with pipe cleaner legs etc. We just have a lot of fun! There is an Indonesian teacher there to help us the whole time. He is great! ANZA also financially contributes to Kampung Kids. The money goes to providing the needy students with a hot meal at lunchtime. The Kampung school is for students unable to attend state school due to some form of financial hardship or poverty. I also spoke to the senior students at the school I taught at in New Zealand and they held a fundraiser for Kampung Kids.
What did you enjoy most about volunteering? The welcome you receive every time you walk through the Kampung. The mothers are so friendly and it's such a special feeling to be among these families.
How has volunteering changed your experience of living in Jakarta? It has made living here very real and has made me very appreciative of the life I lead here and in New Zealand. It has also shown me how some people with so little are the happiest people alive.
What advice would you give to others who would like to volunteer? It is the best way to see life here in Jakarta and to be a part of the most incredible group of ladies on the social welfare team, who work on their projects and volunteer with passion, enthusiasm and heart.
Your time in Jakarta is coming to an end soon, what are your plans next and what is one thing you will take with you? To spend time with my daughters aged 29 and 27... family dinners, coffees and wines with girlfriends and walking along the beach near our house. The one thing I will take back with me is the friendliness of the Indonesian people. Their love of family, eating together, their strength of faith and acceptance of everyone and everything.
Catherine Anderson Volunteer Coordinator for Yayasan Sayap Ibu Playgroup
orphanage and go to the Playground in Kemang. We would give them lunch and ice cream there too. But it was too hot there for several hours, so we started taking them to ANZA as we have a great playroom and air conditioning! Occasionally, we still take the kids on outings, like our recent trip to Jakarta Aquarium (p. 32)
What have you enjoyed most about volunteering? The most enjoyable part of volunteering has been seeing the children’s characters develop and watching their confidence grow. I have followed some of them from babies until school age. Over the years many have been adopted which is awesome to see and also a bit sad to see them leave but knowing they were adopted into loving families has been the icing on the cake. How has volunteering changed your experience of living in Jakarta? Volunteering has made my time in Jakarta worthwhile. There is only so much shopping and lunching that one girl can do! Your time in Jakarta is coming to an end soon, what are your plans next and what is one thing you will take with you? My husband and I are planning to move back to Nelson, NZ and remodel our home. We are looking forward to walking, cycling, hill walking and when winter comes around, skiing. It will be nice to be able to be outside and not boil. I have suffered a lot with the heat in Indonesia. I would like to continue my volunteering back in NZ with St John Ambulance.
How did you get involved with the Yayasan Sayap Ibu Playgroup? I got involved in 2015, as Sara Osman, the lead ANZA volunteer at the time was leaving Jakarta. Vikki Allan and I decided to volunteer together. Can you tell us a little more about Yayasan Sayap Ibu and the kind of volunteering you did? When I first started we would collect the children from the
For more info about current volunteer opportunities with ANZA Social Welfare contact Zani, socialwelfare@anzajakarta.com
