Who We Are
We are a group of refugee volunteers, who have been working for the welfare of the refugee communities in Indonesia for the last two years.
The reason why we have to wait in Indonesia for several years is because of the lengthy process of the UNHCR and the third country’s embassies. When refugees come to Indonesia they have to register themselves as asylum seekers with the UNHCR. Then they have to wait for an interview. After that, they have to wait to be recognized as a refugee. And then, they have to wait again, to be resettled. This process can take up to 3-4 years.
As refugees in Indonesia we don’t have access to the most basic human rights. We are not allowed to study or work. And when people can’t go school and can’t work, they are exposed to mental problems because they have too much free time on their hands.
And when they are not allowed to work or study here, they will change from active people to lazy people and they will become a burden for the society when they move to a third country. That’s what we are fighting to change.
Many of us have been in the same situation years ago, when we were forced to leave our countries and flee to neighboring countries without finishing our studies. Watching other children go to school when on the other hand, we were not allowed to, was an extremely tough situation and we don’t want the same to happen to the children here.
Our Project
A while ago, we gathered the community members and we told them that we wanted to establish a learning center to give education to the children. The community was very welcoming and appreciative. We sat together and agreed to jointly pay for the rent for the first few months, even though we all had financial problems of our own.
We had many skilled people among the community and we needed time to identify and mobilize them. After we found a suitable location, we started “Refugee Learning Center” with 50 students.
The primary goal of the center was to provide education to children but it has evolved. Today, we teach more than 110 children and also around 50 women, and we also create opportunities for them to play sports. Especially for women, who were always very interested in sports activities. In their home countries they couldn’t go outside of their houses freely, let alone participate in any kind of sports. This is a huge step towards independence. Now, the women feel free and can do things for themselves.
We are also trying to bring the community closer and relieve their stress by organizing different social activities. We have organized 2 concerts in the past two years. Refugee Learning Center has provided the facilities for a number of workshops about ‘living values’ and teacher trainings conducted by numerous other organizations.
Why It Matters
These activities and opportunities put together give the refugees something meaningful to do while they wait for their resettlement process. Through our learning center the community members have a chance to utilize their abilities for a higher purpose. This initiative has brought unity and cooperation between different refugee communities and has made their bonds stronger. Before establishing this learning center refugees were scared to do any kind of activity or even study but we have proved that seeking your right is not a crime.
We feel this is a journey that we are on is not of a single person or group and we are trying our level best to make this center sustainable for a long period of time so it can help all the refugees in the years to come.
How You Can Help
You can support this noble cause by donating however much you can to our campaign. We also request from our supporters to spread the word to their friends, family and networks. Remember that every little bit helps. Even 5$ from each of our supporters can make a HUGE difference or us!
