In collaboration with the Pediatric Unit of University Gadjah Mada, PCI took the children and their mothers on a field-trip to the university campus. The children walked around the campus hand-in-hand with the volunteers and explored all different aspect of campus life; the library, the canteens, student centres, and especially the labs! They were given the opportunity to try various medical and research equipment to challenge their thinking. Meanwhile, the Pediatric and Psychology professors sat with the mothers and discussed the different possibilities that would enable the children to access higher education.
Normally, Indonesian mothers from this socio-economic level never have the chance to find out about different pathways that may ensure their child finishes senior high-school or attend tertiary education. Concepts such as scholarships or even simply creating a financial plan to use when their child turns fifteen, and finishes free schooling, are almost entirely unknown. There are indeed alternatives to these children having to start work at the age of fifteen. Physically visiting the campus and discussing these pathways created a strong impression upon the mothers, who are in so many ways the ‘dream-makers’ of their children.
