Written by Graciella Stephanie Ganadhi, Content Writer Intern Project Child Indonesia
Have you ever been extremely hungry? Have you ever been living in a condition where you cannot just open the fridge and find various kinds of food and beverages to satisfy your hunger or even just a mere craving? Have you ever been worried about there being no food for the day to come? No? Then, congratulations! You are privileged.
Are you attending a good school, receiving quality education, and having friends at school? Have you ever been worried about eventually being dropped out because your parents can’t pay for your tuition? Have you ever been bullied because you look ragged and cannot afford to spend money in the school’s cafeteria? If you haven’t experienced any of that, once again: congratulations! You’re living a nice life without basic things to worry about.
In 2020 Indonesia, over 25 million people is still living under the poverty line. That means, they don’t have access to basic nutrition, basic healthcare, and quality education. This issue is not something that can be solved using the same solution for every part of Indonesia. The cause of poverty varies from one province to another because poverty is not only an economic problem. It is influenced by the social-cultural values in that certain area which prove it to be challenging to create changes in the society.
Money or government social aid cannot alleviate these people out of poverty. The problem is complex and it requires complex solutions too. Instead of giving free things which will instill the mindset of ‘it’s okay, the government will help’, the government needs to create a programme to educate these people in skills that can generate money and in the long run, will help them to get out of the poverty line.
However, as a government is a big body and there is a lot of bureaucracy that needs to be done before an actual action can take place, citizens need to participate too. For the sake of Indonesia’s economic growth, everyone must take part in getting people out of poverty. An NGO for example, can create a programme to teach any kind of skills to those who live under poverty. An individual can organize a movement to do the same thing. There are lots of things that we can do to help. It’s just a matter of whether or not the impact will become a long-run impact or just a short-term help such as monetary aid.
