Liberate Papua's Children From Illiteracy
Dear Good People,
On September 4, 2020, the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia issued a very surprising statement. According to the national census data, the percentage of illiterate Indonesians in 2019 is decreasing to as low as 1.78%. However, with that rate, Indonesia ranked 60th out of the 61 countries on literacy. Sadly, the highest percentage of illiterate people in Indonesia is in Papua island at 21.9%. That's more than one in five people.
This rate of illiteracy in Papua is because of low enrollment in elementary school and kindergarten. Los Angeles Times informed that even with rich natural resources in Papua island, Papuans can only benefit from a sliver of their own resources. Few good jobs and threadbare health and education systems have contributed to the highest poverty rates, lowest literacy rates, and highest mortality rates for children in Papua.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down, Eby, Reviona, Julio, Simon, Andre, and Matelda have already struggled to go to school. Underpaid teachers, few to no study materials, and bad infrastructure are “normal” injustice that they have to accept every single day. Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, they have to struggle even more with the risk of getting infected by this deadly virus without proper sanitation and face masks available at the school. Even more, this pandemic will force these kids to fall further behind. It will turn the education quality between the urban and rural areas from a gap to a chasm. The COVID-19 has hurt some 60 million pre-primary to upper secondary Indonesian school children with nowhere to turn, especially in Papua. Technology and the internet serve as a solid solution to keep children learning in the midst of COVID-19, but unfortunately, tech is not inclusive for Eby and all his friends in Papua.
I am Aprisal Malale — with my friend Esther Darmahkasih and Rian Djita — we are moved to change this injustice. We are from Indonesia and are currently living in the United States. We are moved to work together with our friend, Ferosina Aulele, which currently contributes her life to give free education for Papua’s children through Yayasan ObatRakyat Indonesia - Indonesian People’s Medicine Foundation. This non-profit aims to bring justice to Papua’s children by providing schools, food, and health protocol training at no cost for children, women, and men in Papua.
Elias, Sem, Yulenx, and Eli deserve better.
They deserve to be able to read. They deserve access to proper sanitation. They deserve nutritious food so they can study without feeling hungry during class. They deserve your support as much as they deserve to be liberated from illiteracy.
Through this GoFundMe platform, we humbly ask your help to donate and distribute this campaign within your network. We humbly ask you to join hand-in-hand with us to liberate them from illiteracy. We ask that you stand with us for them who couldn’t stand for themselves. Join us to give them access to proper education, sanitation, and face masks – small things that we often take for granted because it is available freely on our end.
Your donation will go along way. It is bound to be a beacon of hope for them. Not only that, but with your support, we can spread this campaign to reach out to people with greater resources to give. And for all that you will do and have done, we thank you.
May your heart fill with joy and peace as you join and support us in this campaign.
Sincerely,
Aprisal Malale - [email redacted]
Esther Darmahkasih - f[email redacted]
Rian Djita - [email redacted]
Fero Aulele - [email redacted]