Children are the seeds of the future: they will inherit the earth. As a mother of two boys, the interests and welfare of children are close to my heart. Working with children was thus the natural choice for me when I set out to find some way in which I could be involved in the local community, after relocating from Shanghai to Jakarta with my family just over a year ago.

My search for meaningful volunteer work led me to Kampung Kids, where I found that my desire to work with children was matched with the needs of this kampung in Pejaten Barat in South Jakarta, where many deprived children live. Here at Kampung Kids, I realized that I could, in some small way, alleviate the needs of the children who have so little: I could provide them with a meal once a month, ensuring that they do not go hungry at least for that day; and I could teach them English, offering them hope that through education, they could make something of themselves in the future.



Feeding the Children
As a volunteer of Kampung Kids' Food Programme, I commit to providing lunch every fourth Friday of the month to 50 malnourished children of the kampung. These children come from impoverished families, and their parents cannot afford to provide them with the right nutrition to grow up strong and healthy. Through the Food Programme, the children of the kampung are assured of at least one proper meal a day, getting food that is needed to fuel their growth and development.



Teaching English
While not a teacher by training, I have in my past career as a bank executive, trained bank officers and staff. How different it is to teach children! Unlike adults who are often skeptical and set in their ways, there is an openness in children which makes working with them so fulfilling. The ten children aged 8 to 10 who attend my weekly English class are wonderful - always eager to learn, enthusiastic, very polite and respectful. It is my privilege to teach them.

I look forward every week to seeing my students; their bright, eager faces and enthusiasm for learning makes teaching them such a pleasure. While teaching the kampung children, I am reminded that education has the power to help the less privileged transcend their circumstances. Both my husband and I, coming from humble backgrounds, have benefited from educational opportunities offered to us. Through learning and the acquisition of knowledge, open to the less fortunate through opportunities such as those available at Kampung Kids, poor children can hold onto the hope of climbing out of poverty, and maybe, looking forward to a brighter future.

We cannot eradicate hunger, poverty and illiteracy overnight. But this should not stop us, if we are blessed with the means and the ability, to contribute to causes such as Kampung Kids. The children of the kampung, no less than our own children and the children of well-to-do families, deserve a shot at a better tomorrow.

JUNIPER GOH