hidung merah 2010 annual report

8/13/2019 Hidung Merah 2010 Annual Report

1/21

November 2010


2/21

ContenThe Power of a Smile

Urban Poverty and the People of Cillincing

The Importance of Literacy in a Developing World

Ondengs Story

Promoting Positive Learners

The Power of a New Beginning

A New Approach to Old Challenges

Small Changes in Aceh

Make a Difference

All photos by Renny Antoni Roberts, Rangga Rinjani and David White

1

3

5

7

9

10

12

14

16


3/21

Yayasan Hidung Merah (TheRed Nose Foundation) is an

arts and education outreachprogram based in Indone-sias capital city, Jakarta,with a complimentary pro-gram that incorporatesyoung adults from Aceh. Ourprimary focus is assistingunderpriviliged children, par-ticularly those at risk fromstreet life and child labor,to set and reach positive

goals in their personal andeducational development.

Hidung Merah offers childrena unique and creative outletthat incorporates art, music,athleticism, theatre ele-ments and educationalclasses such as Math andEnglish. As a social circusHidung Merah's fundamentalphilosophy and service ap-

proach consciously focuseson children as individuals,whose needs and challengesat home, school and workare unique from child to

The Po"er of a SmileStudents of Hidung Merah practicing circus and arts in Cillincing in their former classroom which was washed away in a flood

A school student following a performance in Aceh


4/21

child, even though theremay be commonalities.

The philosophy of HidungMerah can be broken downinto a three step program.Each step not only helps todevelop the capacities of the

individual but enables ourstaff to offer a truly tailoredprogram of support for ourstudents, helping them toidentify and achieve theirgoals.

Through the structuredstudy of different physical,visual and musical artsHidung Merah strives to help

children gain self-confidenceand discipline as well as in-crease their capacity to ex-press themselves effectively,work with others coopera-tively and solve problemsthoughtfully.

Hidung Merah combines theknowledge and life skills thatstudents have developed

through its arts programswith extra curricular educa-tion programs such as Eng-lish classes, homework helpas well as intervention whenthere are problems at homeand at school. Through theHidung Merah scholarshipprogram we subsidize theireducation to help empowerthem to get the chances inlife that they deserve. Thefinal step of the program isidentifying what career pathsor goals the students haveand working with them toachieve this goal.

Hidung Merah currently hasa total of sixty studentsranged between seven toeighteen years of age en-rolled in its various educa-

tion and arts programs. Inthe coming months we willbe establishing a kindergar-den class and have plans tostart adult literacy and nu-

meracy programs. This com-munity based approach toeducational development isaimed at trying to empowerall members of the commu-nity through the provision offree extra-curricular educa-tion for those that desire it.

In cooperation with stafffrom a nearby Yayasan,WatSan Action, Hidung

Merah also encourages chil-dren and parents to under-stand and practice goodpersonal hygiene and sup-ports initiatives to improve

the poor water and sanita-tion situation in the area.

With a philosophy developedover years of experienceHidung Merah is in a uniqueposition to help empower thelocal people in the communi-ties we work with. With in-creased support from peoplewho believe in the goals ofour project, we hope to ex-

pand our programs so thatwe can help more people inneed.

Dan Roberts teaching a young child how to spin a plate in Pariaman aspart of Hidung Merahs disaster relief program funded by Save theChildren following the earthquake, January 2010


5/21

Looking back it is hard to seewhere it all began. In 1900the city of Jakarta had apopulation of only 100,000inhabitants, and the fishingvillage of Cilincing was lo-cated on the Northern out-skirts of the city. More thana hundred years later andthe population of Jakarta isnow a little over nine and a

half million, (according tothe 2010 consensus) eventhis figure belies the truesize of the city. If the com-muter districts of Bogor,Tangerang, Depok andBekasi are included the pop-ulation more than doubles toa staggering twenty-threemillion people, of which ap-proximately 80 percent are

urban residents. This makesJakarta the largest Metropol-itan district in South EastAsia.

One of the prime reasons for

this population growth isrural-urban migration. Muchof the migration is certainlythe result of the perceptionby rural migrants that citiesprovide more and better op-portunities for upward socialand economic mobility thanrural areas. Another factoris increasing land pressureon Java. With rural popula-

tion growth continuing, andwithout a corresponding in-crease in available agricul-tural land, economicpressures will continue todrive the rural population tomigrate to cities in search ofemployment. When the per-ceptions of employment andincreased economic mobilitydo not materialise the rural

poor are transformed intourban poor. This changefrom rural to urban povertyhas not only affected mi-grants to the city. With thegrowth of the population

urban sprawl has created notonly the modern city but alsothe Kampung (indonesian forvillage) city where rural tra-ditions are maintained in anurban setting.

In the context of urbanpoverty factors such as sub-standard shelter, air pollu-tion, insufficient or

contaminated drinkingwater, inadequate sanitationand solid waste disposalservices, vectorborne dis-eases and industrial wasteall impact on peoples lives.Social issues such as crime,violence and prostitution arealso common problems.

It is hard to quantify the

number of people living inurban poverty in Jakarta. In-deed it is difficult to even de-fine poverty as there is nouniversally accepted defini-tion. Still in 1976 the per-

Urban Po!er# and hePeople of Cillincing

Men from Cillincing bringing in mussels following a day out at sea


6/21

centage of the population ofJakarta living under thepoverty line was assessed to

be 38.8 percent of the popu-lation. As of March 2010 thepercentage of the populationliving below the poverty levelwas 3.48. However the de-crease in real terms has notbeen as significant as thefigures would suggest givengiven urban populationgrowth during this period.

To really understand whatthese statistics mean andthe affects of poverty it helpsto look at the human stories.One of the only employmentopportunities for many ofthe residents of the 'village'of Cilincing is fishing. Themales in the family spendlong, dangerous days far outto sea in their boats divingfor mussels. The women and

children shell the musselsand prepare them for sale.For all of this work the com-bined income of a normalfamily equates to roughly

three dollars a day. Howeverif the head of the family re-turns without a catch the

family will earn no money.Such a precarious existencemeans that families live fromhand to mouth without anysocial safety net. If familiesworked every single day, in avery good year they couldexpect to earn a little overone thousand dollars. If afamily member, such as thehead of the household dieshowever or becomes infirmthe family unit can quicklydisintegrate and the childrencan find themselves withouta guardian and having tofend for themselves as bestthey can.

Although education is recog-nised as a method for escap-ing poverty the costs ofschooling can be prohibitive

for families on such a tightbudget, especially if sendingthem to school reduces thecapacity of the family to earnan income. In Cilincing mid-

dle school costs three-hun-dred dollars a year. The costof high school is significantlyhigher at around six-hun-dred dollars a year, while togive a child a university ed-ucation would cost a familymore than its annual in-

come.

Children without access toeducation in Cilincing oftengo in search of a better life.Surrounding the village ofCilincing are the two areas ofTanjung Priok and Kota. Kotahas many of the problems ofa poor inner city. Drugs andprostitution are prevelant

and large street gangs offerchances for enrichment andan identity for marginalizedyouth who have few otheroptions. Tanjung Priok ischaracterised by many of thesame problems as Kota. It isno surprise then that manychildren from Cilincing be-come involved in gang cul-ture or prostitution.

In a study undertaken by theIndonesian Chamber ofCommerce and Industry onurban poverty it was identi-fied that children are mostcommonly sent to workwhen driven so by poverty.

Giving a child an education isa luxury that is outside thegrasp of many of these fam-

ilies, especially if they havemore than one child. It ishere then that HidungMerah's programs can makeits biggest difference to thelives of the students that wework with. Through theHidung Merah scholarshipprogram we offer our stu-dents the support they needto gain the education that

their families are unable toprovide.

A family shelling mussels in Cilincing


7/21

The United Nations Educa-tional, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO) de-fines literacy as the "abilityto identify, understand, in-terpret, create, communi-cate, compute and useprinted and written materialsassociated with varying con-texts. Literacy involves acontinuum of learning in en-abling individuals to achievetheir goals, to develop theirknowledge and potential,and to participate fully intheir community and widersociety." Implicit in this def-inition are the many benefitsthat can accrue from being

able to read and write. Theopposite also holds true, de-ficiencies in literacy havebeen correlated with unem-ployment and poor health.

In poor urban and rural com-munities low literacy levelsfor adults over forty is com-mon as many lack even themost basic education. This isborne out in Cilincing wherethe majority of adults over-forty are illiterate. This prob-lem is exacerbated by thedysfunctional health careservices. This inequity in ac-cesss to health care servicesis primarily the result of in-come. The following excerptfrom the 2008 World HealthReport published by theWorld Health Organizationshows that the people of Cil-incing are by no means an

isolated case but are exam-ples of peoples who receivelimited health care. Today,it is clear that left to theirown devices, health systems

do not gravitate naturally to-wards the goals of health forall through primary healthcare... Health systems aredeveloping in directions thatcontribute little to equity andsocial justice.

If Hidung Merah is to helpthe communities that wework with literacy and basichealth care are issues thatneed to be tackled. As aneducation and arts focusedorganization Hidung Merahhas already created manylocal initiatives to combat lit-eracy and keep children ineducation. The organization

also has plans to start liter-acy classes for adults withthe initial goal of makingthem functionally literate.These basic skills will mean

The Imporance of Lierac#

in a De!eloping World


8/21

that parents will finally be in the positionto read the report cards that their chil-drens teachers send them, somethingthat most people in this world take forgranted.

Hidung Merah's health care programs arecurrently limited as befits an organizationwhose primary focus is education and thearts. However in all of our education pro-grams we always incorporate basic mes-sages in primary health care. In the pastwe have held free clinics for treatment ormedical advice. Hidung Merah arrangedfor free consultations and advice on den-tal hygiene from a dentist to members ofthe communities that we work with.

In the future we plan to hold more freeclinics or facilitate information sharingevents where medical experts can offeradvice as well as give treatment to localpeople that are in need of medical serv-ices. Concurrent to this we would alsolike to continue and expand our currenteducation and arts programs. To turn allof these hopes and dreams into a realityrequires continuous and sustained finan-

cial support. Above: Hidung Merahs social outreach in schools, AcehBelow: Interns of Hidung Merah visit local schools inJakarta


9/21

Hi, my name is Ondeng and Im 14 yearsold. Im in eigth grade. I still remember thefirst time I heard about Hidung Merah. Outof no where this foreigner is walking aroundacting silly. In our village. Its dirty andthere is trash everywhere. Why did he wantto be near to something like that? I wasamazed that he would be interested in doinganything like that. Then he started to per-form. I thought to myself, what is thisstranger doing here, making a show in ourvillage. At first I didnt understand what kindof a show it was. We had never seen circusor clown. It was weird at first! Then Ka Danstarted teaching us circus. I was really curi-ous, so I asked to join and then startedcoming every week. When Ka Dan left afterjust a few months, we stopped meetingweekly. With no teacher, we didnt knowhow to study circus. So life went back tonormal. Without thinking about learning atall. Just playing marbles and watching TV.While Ka Dan was gone, we missed him. So

we were so excited to see him again in early2009. We didnt think he would come back,so we were so sad when he left, but thenafter he came back we were so happy tomeet him again.

When he came back he started to talk to usabout the importance of education andstarted to teach us English. At first, learningEnglish was really hard. In school, it was myworst subject. But from the time that westarted having English lessons at HidungMerah, my grades started to get better inschool. My English grade has gone up a lotsince before we started lessons. Before, thebest grade in English that I ever got was a 4out of 10. Now, I always get 8s and 9s. Myteacher asked me once, Are you cheatingon your English tests? Your grades were solow and then all of a sudden they are sogood. I told her about the English lessonswith Hidung Merah. After that she told me,Well, if your English is going to be so good,stop calling me Ibu and start calling me Ms.

When I finished Elementary school, mygrades were so bad, I couldnt get into thefree Middle school. So I had to quit school.I was going to be sent to live with my Uncle

and he would find someone for me to bemarried to. I didnt want to go, but I didnthave a choice, because I wasnt going to doanything in Cilincing except play. Before Iwas going to leave, I went to talk with Ka

Ondeng$s Sor#


10/21

Dan. I didnt want to go to Hidung Merah,because I was afraid Ka Dan would ask meif I had gone to school that day and I didnt

want to lie. But, my mom pushed me to go,so I did and when Ka Dan asked me if I hadgone to school, I had to lie, because I didntknow what else to do. Somehow he knew Iwas lying and when class was finished, heasked me to stay and talk. He asked me whyI wasnt going to school anymore. I ex-plained to him that we couldnt afford it andI was being sent to my Uncles house. KaDan told me that if I really wanted to goback to school, hed help find the paymentsfor me. But he told me, if he found themoney for my school, I had to promise to bevery hard working and never skip class with-out a good reason. I really wanted to, and Itold him that. He told me to ask my momfirst, and if she agreed, than he would takeme to the market the next day to buy mybooks and uniform. I called my mom andtold her and she was very happy for me.Im so grateful for Ka Dan and Hidung Merahbecause now I get to go to school. Im justso grateful. I hope to be able to get lots of

education and continue through college orbeyond. I work so hard in school, because Idont want to disappoint anyone who hashelped me this far. I feel very lucky today.

I work so hard in school now. I never skipclass. Before Hidung Merah paid for myschool, I barely went to class, and didnt re-ally care about it. But now, I havent misseda day without being excused first.

My average grade before Hidung Merah wasa 4 out of 10. But now, my lowest grade isa 6 and thats in Math. In Language Arts I

get 8s and 9s. In Sience, 7s and 8s andin English, I never get below an 8! Mygrades have improved so much. Theyve im-proved because my desire to be in schoolhas increased so much.

Hidung Merah is not only about education.Part of the program focuses on arts, as wellas performing. The first performance I everperformed in was in 2008 in Cilincing. I wasso shy and nervous. Even more, we wore

silly clown pants and put our hair in sillypony tails. When we performed our acts, itwas a mess. Everything kept falling and allthe tricks were messed up. But we remem-bered that Ka Dan had told us, if you dropthings, just keep smiling. The audiencewont know the difference. So we kept smil-ing and smiling. Every time we dropped aball while juggling, we just smiled and pre-tended like we did it on purpose. I think no-body in the audience knew that we hadntdone it on purpose. They were really happy.At first we were really scared, but after theshow started, we were so happy and had somuch fun. We were really proud of our-selves.

My most memorable performance was whenwe performed at the KDM Homeless Shelter.There were so many kids! For that perform-ance, we didnt make any mistakes! I prac-ticed so much before the show, because Iwas nervous about dropping in front of so

many people. I just practiced until I was sogood at the tricks and then on the stage itwent perfectly! I was so happy at that mo-ment.

Hidung Merah has also given me the oppor-tunity to travel to a different country andsee so many things, like when I went to theUS earlier this year. I still remember when Ifound out about the idea of sending some ofus to America. At first, when Ka Dan told us

that he was trying to arrange a trip to go toCircus Smirkus Camp in the USA, I didntthink it was possible that Id be chosen. Hesaid the kids that hed choose would be theones who worked the hardest in arts class

Ondeng learning a trick on silks hammock at theCircus Smirkus camp in the United States


11/21

and in school. They would be the ones whodidnt skip classes all the time and were niceto all the other kids. I didnt think it wouldbe me, but I decided not to give up hope,cause you never know right? A couple ofmonths later, on the way to lessons, Ipassed Bebi (my friend) and she said Con-gratulations! I asked her, why, and she just

responded, It doesnt matter, just congrat-ulations! Then another friend walked byand told me Congratulations. I didnt un-derstand. Why was everybody congratulat-ing me? It wasnt my birthday! When Ifound out that I had been chosen to go toAmerica, I started running around andscreaming to all of my family. Im going toAmerica, Im going to America! They didntbelieve me at first but were so excited forme in the end!

When we were in America, it was so muchfun! We got to learn so many new skills thatwe dont have here in Indonesia. My favoritewas Trapeze. But every night after learningTrapeze, my body was so sore! The teacherthere told me the same thing Ka Dan alwaystells us, If your muscles are sore, thatmeans theyre growing bigger One morn-ing, my muscles were so sore, I could hardlypull myself up to the bar on the trapeze.But I forced myself to try and in the end I

could. I knew that this was a once in a life-time opportunity and I didnt want to waste

it with sore muscles.

From the time that I began studying withHidung Merah, my life has changed somuch. I have become so hard working inschool, my grades have improved so much.And now we perform on TV all the time. Itslike were famous people, even though were

not. Were used to everyone looking at usnow. Every time we perform, hundreds orthousands of people are just staring at us.We get to travel all over the city and I gotto go to America! My parents havent evenbeen out of the country, but their daughtergot to go as far as America. I feel like Ivebecome so broad minded now because ofHidung Merah. Hidung Merah is so importantin my life.

I think Hidung Merah has taught me manythings and given me amazing experiences.One of the things that will alway stay withme is the lesson that I should never give up.Ka Dan tells us to just give it a try. Dont sayyou cant. Everything in this world can bedone, if we just try hard enough. If we donttry, theres no way well succeed. I reallylearned that lesson. Every time Im tryingsomething new or difficult, I just alwayskeep in my mind Ka Dans voice, You cando it, you can do it and so I dont give up.

And, usually I succeed!

Ondeng learning to walk on a slackwire with Hidung Merah volunteer Frankie at JIS, Jakarta

Translated from Indonesian


12/21

Our goal at Hidung Merahhas always been to try to de-velop and expand as an or-ganisation so that we canhelp support more peoplefrom the communities thatwe work with through ourprograms. Without the con-tinuous support of individu-als, organisations andinstitutions that believe inthe work we do we wouldnever be where we aretoday. One institution thathas supported us since thebeginning is Jakarta Interna-tional School (JIS).

JIS was founded more thanfifty years ago specifically tomeet the needs and inter-

ests of expatriate studentsliving in Jakarta. JIS recog-nises that to ensure its stu-dents become well roundedindividuals it is necessary to

not only provide them withan excellent academic edu-cation but also instill in itsstudents an ethos of socialresponsibility. In this respectJIS leads by example. Forthree years now JIS hasworked with Hidung Merahoffering us vital supportwhich helps sustain our pro-grams. One example of thesupport that Hidung Merahreceives is the Performancetroupe program that theproject runs; every Sundaymorning a bus paid for byJIS will go to the village ofCillincing and pick up theHidung Merah students andtake them to Pondok Indahwhere the school is based.

For three hours the studentswill train in the gymnasium,practicing circus arts forshows that we hold for thepublic. These practice ses-

sions are not only open toHidung Merah students butare also available for stu-dents of JIS. Through collab-orative programs such asthese we hope to be able tohelp overcome social dividesby making sure that all ofour students work together

as a team.

The ethos of Hidung Merahhas always been to try andmix arts with education sothat we can help our stu-dents attain their personaldreams. The Performancetroupe program that we holdat JIS gives us a unique op-portunity to use the firstclass educational facilitiesthat the school has and thatour students have been de-prived of in their regular ed-ucation. One example of aneducation program that we

Promoing Posii!e Learners


13/21

have run in the past at JIShas been a computer literacyprogram where we teach ourstudents how to use basiccomputer programs as welllearning how to type.

Our work with JIS has also

brought us into contact withthe schools alumni network,a group of people who havebeen of immeasurable helpto us. The support that wehave received has been bothfinancial and practical. TheJIS alumni network got us incontact with the law firm,SSEK helped us with the reg-istration of our Yayasan. This

is one of the many examplesof how the alumni networkhas supported us. Such sup-port is proof indeed that theprinciples on which JIS wasbased on has shaped a gen-eration of people who careabout the community inwhich they live. We hope tobe able to continue to de-velop and strengthen our re-lations with JIS and its

graduates into the future. Above: JIS student helping a student of Hidung Merah during computerliteracy classBelow: Students from JIS and Cilincing working cooperatively at JISgymnasium


14/21

The creation of a dedicatedspace for the students ofHidung Merah's educationand arts program to study issomething that we havebeen striving for since wefirst started in 2008. For anumber of years the organi-sation simply used spacethat had been made avail-able for them to train and

teach in the home of a num-ber of residents of Cilincing.That this space was kindlydonated was of immeasura-ble help for the programwhen it first started. Thoughthe facilities were adequatefor our initial needs we inHidung Merah wanted to beable to offer our students theprofessional facilities that we

believe they deserve. Withthis in mind Hidung Merahdecided to try and find a wayto turn this dream into a re-ality.

The hardest part of achiev-ing the goal of creating atraining and education cen-ter was finding a suitablespace, as many of thehomes in Cilincing have beenbuilt illegally. The secondproblem Hidung Merah facedwas finding the funding tobuild such a structure.Though these two problemsappeared to be major obsta-cles the staff of the organi-sation perservered and triedto find the means to over-come them. After an exten-sive investigation and

negotitations with a numberof the local residents a suit-able premises was found andplans were drawn up to builda two story center. The top

floor would be turned into adedicated classroom whichwould be able to hold up totwenty students at a time.The bottom floor would beturned into an arts trainingcentre with a high roof and alarge open space.

It was now time to try andraise funding for the project.After talking to a builder arough estimate of the cost ofthe project was reached. To

create the building to thespecifications that wewanted would cost approxi-mately six thousand dollars.Although this is a relativelysmall sum for many organi-sations it is much more thanHidung Merah had in itsbank account. Support how-

ever can come from from themost unexpected of places.A chance conversation with aJIS Alumni who was workingfor the International Fund for

The Po"er of a Ne"Beginning

Children decorating the education and arts center


15/21

Agricultural Development(IFAD) in Italy, turned up apossible source of funding.

The staff of IFAD have anannual help fund, part ofwhich was granted to HidungMerah. The slogan of IFAD isenabling poor rural peopleto overcome poverty, and itis somewhat apt that theeventual recipients of thisaid come from a poor ruralcommunity that has beenengulfed by Jakarta's urbansprawl.

In June 2010, the HidungMerah Cilincing arts and ed-ucation center officiallyopened its doors. Before thecenter opened Hidung Merahhad thirty students, this hasnow increased to sixty stu-dents and fifteen adults soyou can just see what a dif-ference these facilities have

made. Our students are cur-rently split into four classeswhich are divided accordingto their age and experience.Every week during weekdays

Hidung Merah holds regularEnglish classes as well assupplemental classes where

staff of the organisation helpsupport the students withtheir homework. On the firstfloor weekly arts classes areheld. The students will nor-mally attend these classesbefore they have their aca-demic lessons.

The impact of the trainingand education center in Cil-incing is clear for everyoneinvolved in the project tosee. With improved facilitiesthat cater for arts and edu-cation Hidung Merah hasbeen able to expand andoffer support to more of theresidents of the area. How-ever after only six monthswe are nearing our limits.Without a bigger structurethe impacts that we can

have will be constrained byour facilities. This fact hasled us to set a new goal for2011. In the middle of thevillage of Cilincing there is a

large open space that re-mains undeveloped. It isused as an open rubbish pit

with goats that wander thearea searching for anyscraps of food that they canfind. Our dream is to turnthis space from an emptyfield into a school that willprovide extra-curricular edu-cation for the children of Cil-incing. As we envision it thestructure would be far largerthan what we currently use.It would have four class-rooms, a combined com-puter center and library, anoffice and a dedicated artsand sports area. Such astructure would be a sub-stantial investment and afterdiscussions with an architectwe discovered that the feefor constructing this centerwould equate to approxi-mately seventy-five thou-

sand dollars. Hopefully bythe beginning of 2012 wecan look back and say thatwe managed to turn anotherdream into reality.

Proposed location for a new and larger purpose built education center in Cillincing


16/21

In many ways 2004 is seenas a real turning point forAceh, a province located onthe island of Sumatra on thefar East of the Indonesianarchipelago. Following al-most thirty years of civil con-flict and the devastatingimpacts of an earthquakeand tsunami the province of

Aceh had become one of thepoorest in the whole of In-donesia, a far cry from itsrelative prosperity in the1970's. The tsunami not onlyresulted in one of the largestrelief and reconstruction ef-forts to have occurred in In-donesia but also increasedthe political space, that in2005 resulted in the Helsinki

peace accord signed be-tween GAM (Gerakan AcehMerdeka, Free Aceh Move-ment) and the Governmentof Indonesia.

The international reconstruc-tion effort in Aceh focusedon re-building much of the

infrastructure and strength-ening local government insti-tutions. This approach isalready starting to bear fruit,and a growth in the businessand commercial sectors hasdone much to reducepoverty levels and increaseaccess to services such ashealth care and education.

However close analysis ofpost tsunami donor fundinghighlights a disturbing trend,a focus on reconstruction atthe expense of conflict reso-lution. This is understand-able given the scale of thedevastation inflicted on theregion. A study commis-sioned by the World Bankand the Government of In-

donesia estimated that thedamage to property andbusinesses inflicted by thetsunami was valued at morethan US $4.4 billion. How-ever in a region where con-flict has been the norm for ageneration and a natural dis-aster has wrecked families

resulting in the death of somany, conflict resolution as atool for reconciliation shouldnot be ignored. Without pro-grams that focus on socialreconciliation there is stillthe potential for renewedconflict.

As previously stated Poverty

levels, though falling, arestill relatively high, particu-larly in rural areas where 30percent of rural householdsare living below the povertyline. Though poverty is by nomeans a pre-condition forconflict, horizontal inequali-ties and social exclusion-when combined with issuesof local identity may increase

the likelihood of violent con-flict. To exacerbate theseproblems there are many ex-combatants who formed therank and file of GAM that feelthey have been excludedfrom the benefits of thepeace process. To changethis cycle of poverty and ex-

A New Aproach to Old

Challenges

Hidung Merah social outrach program at work in Aceh


17/21

clusion it is necessary to tryand promote change. The2008 World Bank reportAceh Poverty Assessmentidentifies education as ameans of promoting positivechanges in the region. Anincrease in one year of

schooling for the householdhead increases the odds ofescape [from absolutepoverty] by 10 percent.

Hidung Merah in collabora-tion with USAID-Serasi, de-veloped a program whichfocused on education as ameans of helping to resolvesome of the underlying so-

cial problems which remainin post tsunami Aceh. Webelieve that through smallpositive changes in peopleslives we have the power tomake a big impact. The aimof the program is to traineleven Acehnese youth be-tween the ages of eighteen-twenty-seven as communityempowerment workers. The

program started on 15March when three staffmembers of Hidung Merah,Dan, Dedi and Renny wentto Aceh for a month to audi-tion suitable candidates.After auditioning sixty youngmen and women eleven par-ticipants were chosen. TheHidung Merah staff also per-formed twenty-two shows allover Aceh to 4,500 people,

spreading their messagethrough laughter and educa-tion.

The eleven Acehnese partic-ipants are now half waythrough their six monthtraining program. Theircourse has combined theo-retical classes which givethem the tools to do their

work, with hands on lessonswhere they get to use theirnew knowledge in real worldsituations. Central to the in-ternship program has been

the education and arts pro-grams that Hidung Merahrun in Cilincing. The traineesspend three days a weekworking as teachers to thesixty students that HidungMerah has enrolled in its var-ious programs.

In December 2010 theeleven trainee communityempowerment workers willbe returning to Aceh anddoing a month long tour aspart of their program withHidung Merah. Over thecourse of twenty-eight daysthe eleven participants willdo 75 performances on thethemes of peace and collab-oration with messages oneducation and healthcare.Although this might seem

like an ambitious scheduleHidung Merah is confident inbeing able to achieve itsaims, enabling audiences tohave a chance to let go of

their daily hardships andenjoy a few hours of enter-tainment.

Though the interns from theAceh program have devel-oped significantly since theyfirst came to Jakarta withHidung Merah, we believethat there is still much workthat we can do together to

help in their development ascommunity empowermentofficers. At the moment thestudents of the programhave a dream to establishtheir own local education or-ganisations in the communi-ties that they come from.With continued supportHidung Merah will be able tohelp our students developthe skills that they need toturn these ambitions into re-ality.

Hidung Merah social outreach in schools around Aceh


18/21

My Name is Muhammad Hanafi and Im 22years old.

Before I joined Hidung Merah, I never had asteady job. Sometimes I would work wash-ing cars, but only if they needed help. InBanda Aceh, I lived with my older brother.His friend is the one who owned the carwashing shop, which is why he gave mework sometimes.

There were three people working at the carwash including myself. My plan is to returnto the car wash after I return to Aceh fromJakarta My parents supported me joiningthis project in Jakarta, because they thoughtit would be a good experience for me. Atfirst, they were a little cautious becausethey didnt know what the lessons would belike in Jakarta, where I would live and how Iwould afford it. After I explained to them

that Hidung Merah was providing a place tolive, transportation and a food stipend, theywere 100% in support.

How did you find out about HidungMerah?

I was at a seminar in Aceh about HIV/AIDS.After the seminar finished, the staff fromHidung Merah gave a presentation about theproject in Jakarta. They told us that if anyone was interested, we could sign up andcome to auditions. Auditions took 2 daysand had participants from all of Aceh. Elevenof us were selected to join the project.

Have you gained anything from thisproject and has it inspired you to make

any changes in your life?

Ive gained so many circus skills since Ivebeen in Jakarta. Every day I learn some-thing new. Balls, rings, clubs, even fire!Something new and difficult for me is learn-ing about Clown and the real definition ofwhat Clown is, like Adrian and Ka Dan havebeen teaching us. In the beginning, Ithought the only way you could be funnywas by saying something funny or telling afunny joke to make people laugh. But in

Clown, we learn that humor can actuallycome from our movements and actions. Allwe have to do is be honest and real on stageand comedy grows from that honesty. Forthe future, I hope to start a small group inAceh with my friends from this project. Wellstart very small, just entertaining andteaching children who need to smile. We arevery excited about this idea and hope thatKa Dan will help us with advice and direc-tions even after the project in Jakarta is fin-

ished. Weve already started talking aboutthis organization, that wed like to create,and weve already come up with a name,Little Smiles. It will have the same con-cepts and ideas like Hidung Merah, teachingClown and Circus to help children grow. Thisis a very new idea in Aceh.

What are some obstacles that youvehad during this project?

Its very difficult for me to understand theState of Clown. At first I got very frus-trated and wanted to quit, because I didntunderstand. But after some time, practiceand effort, I began to understand the idea

Small Changes in Aceh

Hanafi performing at the Jakart motor show


19/21

of the Clown World and now I realize thatit really takes time to learn these things. Imoptimistic about my future now.

Whats youre favorite part of theproject?

Im very happy with Circus and juggling. Be-

cause, once the audience begins to claptheir hands for you, I feel so appreciatedand my self-esteem becomes so strong.Clown is more difficult, and Im always wor-ried about doing the wrong thing, or notbeing funny. Even though we learn thatwhen things go wrong on stage, those aresimply opportunities for you to find thehumor in the real situation.

Have you changed since youve joined

this project?

I feel so much more confidence and brave infront of people I dont know. I feel like Ivegained so much experience, met with peopleand done things that I couldnt have done ifI was still in Aceh. The experience of beingpart of a group, not just being alone hasmade much more open minded. Ive be-come inspired to help give Aceh a commu-nity like the one we have here in Jakarta. Ifeel like the children in Aceh would be so

happy to have something like Hidung Merah.I hope to gain more skills so I can help thechildren of Aceh.

Above: Hanafi and Irma performing at a school in

JakartaBelow: The Acehnese intern students on the OrangeJuice show


20/21

You can donate online at www.rednosefoundation.org or through a bank transfer to our Mandiriaccount.

Bank MandiriAccount Name: Yayasan Hidung MerahAccount #: 122-00-0548439-2SWIFT Code: BMRIIDJABank Address: Jakarta Wisma Metropolitan IJl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 29Jakarta 12920Bank Phone: +6221-57-05386Hidung Merah's Phone #: +6281-219-29-0142

Make a DifferenceThree hundred dollars means different things to different people. For one of our students threehundred dollars is a years education. It is the hope of change, the opportunity to develop theskills that can help them escape poverty and create a better future. With a donation, howeverbig or small you can make a real change in a childs life.


21/21

Hidung Merah is registered in 2010 as a Non-Profit in Indonesia and is in the process ofregistering itself as a 501 (c)(3) in the United States. For more information on the organisationvisit the website at www.rednosefoundation.org

As read in; Grazia, Maestro, Media Indonesia, Jakarta Globe, Jakarta Post, Kompas, Provoke,Mom & kiddie, Readers Digest Indonesia, The Beat, Me Asia, iCreate, Good Housekeeping, Cleo,Far Magazine, Weekender; The Jakarta Post, Time Out Jakarta, Gatra, The Executive Exchange,JIS Alumni and Community Magazine, Amica Indonesia

As seen on Australia Network, Channel News Asia, Sun TV, Global TV, Aceh TV, Jakarta TV, MetroTV (Kick Andy, Jakarta-Jakarta), SCTV (Liputan 6 Pag and Siang, Sosok Minggu Ini), Trans TV(Jelang Siang Ceriwis the Bong Show Pagi Asri Reportasi Pagi Surat Sahuba Redaksi Pagi)

hidung merah 2010 annual report

Documents