Three-year-old Ricky lives with his mother and father in South Sumatra, Indonesia, in a one-bedroom house, where the three share a bed under a mosquito net. Despite his humble home, Ricky has a collection of toys in a dedicated play area, and a mother who is learning about how she can help him develop to his full potential.
“Ricky loves playing with his toy trucks and cars, but he is most happy when his older cousins come over to play,” says Dewi, his mother. “They spend hours together running around the yard.”
Ricky’s father is a mechanic at the local motorbike repair shop. Dewi stays at home and looks after Ricky, and she also participates in a parenting program developed by the government and available in her community through ChildFund’s local partner organization, LPM Sriwijaya. The organization is currently working on expanding the program to reach more families in the region.
In workshops led by professionals, mothers learn how to manage childhood illnesses as well as practice better sanitation and hygiene at home. They also learn about the development of cognitive, social, emotional and motor skills, which are just as important to a young child as physical growth and maintaining good health.
“An example of the activities I do with Ricky is to have him practice opening buttons. This will help him to develop his motor skills,” Dewi explains. “We also learned about the importance of breastfeeding. Many mothers, including myself, did not realize how nutritious it is for our children.”
Dewi is working to ensure that Ricky will eat healthy food both now and in the future. She has a veggie patch in their yard where she grows corn, tomoato and papaya, and has just planted spinach seeds too.
Ricky`s favourite food is soup made from katuk, a green, leafy vegetable found in the tropics as well as Dewi’s garden. She cooks the soup over an open fire on the floor of her kitchen.
ChildFund and LPM Sriwijaya have also provided Dewi and other families in the program with child development posters that let parents track important benchmarks like crawling, walking, playing and speaking.
“It is reassuring to know that I am able to check for myself whether Ricky is developing properly,” Dewi says, “and so far we haven’t had any concerns. The program has been so important in reassuring me that Ricky is growing up into a smart young boy. It would be great if all mothers could be part of the program, too.”
Nurul and Selfila talk about their lives before and after receiving bikes through ChildFund Indonesia’s Dream Bikes program which is helping to ensure children living in the dense, crowded slums of Jakarta get to school more easily and safely.
Nurul (pictured above) is quite a shy one. She is 12 years old and in third grade, behind where she should be in school. Because she has dyslexia, Nurul finds it difficult to read and retain information. She has repeated grades several times and even moved to another school. Her mother always accompanies her to school to protect Nurul from bullying. Nurul doesn`t talk much, and looks to her mother to answer questions.
“She always wanted to have a bicycle,” Nurul`s mother explains. “She saw her friends with bikes. One time, she wanted to ride a bike and tried to borrow it from a friend, but the friend would’`t let her. Nurul asked, ‘Mama, when can I get a bike?'”
But the family didn`t have the money to buy a bicycle.
“We need to pay about US$8 per month for the school fees, which I haven`t paid for four months. I don`t know how much a bicycle costs, but I guess it is about US$100. We can`t afford it. It is way too much for us. I only work as a daily laborer, and my husband works as a security guard,” Nurul`s mother said. “What we earn is only enough for food and to pay the electricity bill. Before Nural received the Dream Bike, it took her about 45 minutes to walk to school. She often arrived late, and it was quite tiring for her. I am really happy now that Nurul has been given the bicycle from ChildFund. Praise the Lord!”
“I ride the bike to school,” Nurul says shyly. “I am really happy I don`t have to walk to school anymore! It is much faster for me to get to school than walking. I want to be a doctor when I grow up. I am going to be a dentist!”
Selfila (pictured above), at 14 years old, is in her second year of junior high school. She is the oldest of three children. Her father supports them with daily construction work. Her mother is a housewife.
“I used to walk to school for about half an hour each way, starting early, at 5:30 a.m.,” she explains. “I walked by myself, as my friends don`t live in the same neighbourhood. When I was younger, I was a little scared to walk on the big roads, because there were many cars. Sometimes I arrived at school late because I had to wait for the rain to end. It was quite hard when I returned home too, because the sun was so hot, and I carried so many books. So sometimes I felt too tired to help my mom at home. But now I have the bike, and I get home faster, so I can help her more. I also have more time to do my homework!”
