ABV volunteers support special needs students in Indonesia Yayasan Pendidikan Dwituna Rawinala (Rawinala) is a non-government organisation based in the south-east of central Jakarta which has been educating multiply-disabled (both mentally and physically) and vision impaired students (MDVI) for the past 40 years. Established in 1973, Rawinala provides living facilities for children unable to reside full-time in a family environment. With three programs in early learning, basic education and vocational training, the organisation offers a curriculum based on a holistic approach to teaching children how to learn, live, play and love. It is the only institution of its kind in Indonesia, a country where it is estimated that 30,000 children live with MDVI. In early 2013, Rawinala approached ABV for organisational assistance. As a result ABV Volunteer, Andrew Neeson, travelled to Jakarta in May 2013 as a Business Development Advisor. A key outcome of Andrew’s assignment was the development of a comprehensive strategic plan together with staff to guide Rawinala’s future direction. Andrew noted that “vigorous discussion was devoted to determining what Rawinala’s guiding principles and values should be to underpin the strategic plan, a key one of these was that all members of the Rawinala community will be considered as ‘Family’”. The strategic plan developed during Andrew’s assignment incorporated goals, strategies, tasks, accountabilities and timelines to bring that vision to reality. In order to implement the plan, Andrew believed it was important for Rawinala to undertake baseline research to ascertain the demand for practical teacher training of MDVI students, both within Indonesia and the ASEAN region, over the next 5-7 years. This in turn will inform any decisions about necessary building work and associated infrastructure to meet such demand. Although small fees are charged and the organisation has some government support, approximately 60 percent of funding comes from individual donors. Therefore, during Andrew’s assignment a need was identified for further work in the area of fundraising to sustainably balance these costs into the future. Following this recommendation, a second ABV Volunteer, Peter Hudson, joined Rawinala seven months later as a Fundraising Advisor. Peter built on Andrew’s work, training and mentoring the fundraising committee Peter established within Rawinala. The committee was trained in various fundraising techniques and in developing a range of promotional materials. An additional outcome of the assignment was the establishment of a high profile Indonesian as an ambassador for the organisation. Peter felt that the “members of the Fundraising Committee maintained a positive desire to learn and to further develop their skills” and “the benefits now in place should sustain the organisation over the next twelve months”. The assignment was Peter’s fourth assignment with ABV, and the Business Development Advisor assignment was Andrew’s ninth and also his “most engaging, challenging and rewarding assignment for ABV”. Andrew felt that “the atmosphere at Rawinala is one of shared endeavour in the service of severely disadvantaged children, but it is one of joy and hope, where little successes are celebrated by all, and setbacks felt by everyone”. Both assignments were part of the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program. As part of the AVID program, ABV in partnership with Scope Global, mobilises short-term business volunteers to Asia and the Pacific. AVID is an Australian Government initiative. The term ‘Rawinala’ means ‘a light heart’ in an ancient Javanese language. The organisation believes that even though the students cannot visually see, they can ‘see’ through the other senses including their heart and feelings. Photo 1: ABV Andrew Neeson pictured (middle) with Rawinala staff from left to right: PR and Fundraising Manager Belle Mantiri, Headmaster Budi Prasojo, Deputy Headmaster Prabarini, and former Director Sigid Widodo. Photo 2: ABV Peter Hudson hard at work at the Rawinala offices.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 04:14:52 +0000
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