NOT YOUR TYPICAL SCHOOL

... left only with four teachers with a salary of less than 5 Euro. Help us finish the construction of this school for poor children on the island Lombok in Indonesia.

Author: Jakub Freiwald

EUR 4,453
pledged of EUR 2,067

215%

215% completed

171 contributors pledged

Education

Indonesia

All or nothing. Project finished on May 30, 2016 at 14:20.

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VIDEO WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES -> https://youtu.be/n80EodIEj3k

Apart from those luxurious resorts growing on Lombok beaches almost continuously, there are some places that are hidden from the eyes of tourists, one of them being the SDi – Ar-raman Islamic elementary school. Placed in the middle of a palm groove, between bamboo cabins, it doesn’t look like anything worth visiting on the first glance. It is run by a married couple Zuhirman and Baiq Rahma. We’re being ambushed by a group of little children the second we get there, trying to shake our hands and putting theirs of their foreheads as a sign of respect. Seven was the number of teachers to teach at this school a year ago, with only four of them teaching here today. ‘‘There are only a few people to do this kind of work for 70 thousand Rupees (about 5 Euro) per month,’’ says the professed headmaster. Another comment from his wife was ‘‘Do you know what is worse than having almost no money? Nobody from our own neighborhood would help us. They all envy us thinking that we must be loaded after these last two years of hard work.’’ Try to think back; what was the last thing you spent 60 Euro for? Imagine living this kind of money for a year, because this is the one-year-budget for Zuhirman, Baiq Rahma and their 35 students.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

We spent a month in Indonesia during the last year’s fall. That was right about the time when our newscast was flooded with news about Indonesia in flames, dead orangutans and palm oil. We travelled through the islands Bali, Flores, Gili, Meno and Lombok, encountered a lot of people to remember, who are literally living their – most likely even most of ours – dream. 

We came across a volunteer English teacher Eka Surya during the last week of our trip who hosted us for a few days. He took us to a school for poor children, which was an experience we will hardly ever forget. Getting to see the inhumane conditions, under which are the local kids educated, is really something. The idea for a collection like this didn’t take very long to show up. We’re going back to Lombok this fall to personally hand in the collected money and make sure it’s used properly.

WHOM ARE YOU SUPPORTING?

The school was founded in 2012 by Mr.Zuhirman on his own property. General education is an old problem here in Indonesia. Zuhirman was one of the few village residents with a chance to study. He returned back home after graduating with the sole purpose of spreading his knowledge further. He started teaching along with his father in a kind of make-do conditions – in a garage, on a few square feet of land, just outside his house. There simply was no school anywhere nearby. He got 24 new pupils the very first year he started. 

Kids from the local village are the most common students. The majority of resident people is very poor, mainly fisherman or workers. Unfortunately, they can’t quite pay for their kid’s education with their small salaries (often below 4 Euro per month). There are currently 35 children from the age of 7 to 10 spread across four grades. Some kids even commute from neighboring villages. The couple is planning to open several other classes this year.

The school lacks perimeter walls, hard floor and a part of the roof. A bunch of old textbooks is used for studying, all of them belonging to the teachers. Kids don’t have any, they are simply too expensive (one textbook is around 3 Euro). Even the government falls behind as for financial resources, for the education system support is very low. The school received 28 Euro per month for salaries and operational expenses in 2014. All in all, the salary for one teacher was somewhere around 5 Euro per month (to make a better picture, typical Indonesian soup ‘‘Bakso’’ is roughly 1 Euro and a heartier Nasi goreng, which is fried rice with an egg, is almost triple the cost). School was completely cut off governmental money since 2015. It has neither water nor electrical power.

Seven teachers worked here a year ago, with only four of them remaining today – the headmaster Zuhirman, his wife Baiq Rahma and two others. Several acquaintances help them from time to time. The couple takes their school as a mission. In order to keep their goal alive not to have to close the school, they sell Bakso and fish caught by Zuhirman at night.

OUR GOAL

We want to collect enough financial resources to provide an adequate environment for kids and their studying – to finish the building and provide a dry and clean place for everyday study. We want to provide kids with some textbooks and with the help of green-books.org build a little library with all kinds of books about the nature in native language.

To give an idea – 15 000 Rupees is about 1 Euro.

1. MILESTONE – WE BUILD THE SCHOOL – WE NEED TO COLLECT 1.924 Euro

2. MILESTONE – WE BUILD AN ECO-LIBRARY – WE NEED TO COLLECT 2.146 Euro

3. MILESTONE – WE BUY NEW TEXTBOOKS – WE NEED TO COLLECT 3.114 Euro

Green-books.org is a non-profitable organization founded by Petr Hindrich in 2013. It targets Indonesia and builds eco-libraries throughout the country with modern, colorful books, mainly for children. Over 20 of these libraries have been built ever since.

4. MILESTONE – WE PAY FOR SCHOOL OPERATION – WE NEED TO COLLECT 7.690 Euro

In order to provide some sort of a future to this school, it is important for us to know that it can operate independently and cover its expenses for water, electrical power, school tools and salaries. In this regard we’ve made sure that the headmaster would connect with other schools and discuss some options of a regular supply of financial resources for the school operation.

All additional collected money will be used for expenses connected to school operation.

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

We’ve always taken these collections for schools-in-need in Africa as something really far away, something that doesn’t really concern us. It was like a fight with the windmills, a drop in the sea that wouldn’t change anything. When we stood face to face with these warm hearted kids in this little school one day, though, and spent some time talking with their teachers whose life goal is to pass further as much knowledge as possible, something somewhere deep inside us moved. Indonesian educational system is yet to be developed and supported. Same goes for the relationship between inhabitants and the nature. They know nothing of it and this lack of knowledge makes them scared. Indonesians live in the presence and trying to explain that something they do today can have an impact 20 years in the future is often very difficult. The needed remedy, though, can in this case be achieved, thanks to their gradual education.

WHO ARE WE?

So who’s behind all this? A group of five enthusiasts, brought together by a huge coincidence and a common enthusiasm for the good thing. 

Jakub Freiwald – editor, cameraman, occasional photographer and a passionate traveler. He has made several travelogue reports from Argentina, China, India or Indonesia.

Jana Raková – personnel officer, crazy girl with a love of travelling and an interior design student during the weekends.

Helena & Martijn van den Berg – czech-Holland married couple. They spent some of their honeymoon time on Lombok as volunteers in all kinds of schools. They even contributed with their own money for the completion of perimeter walls.

Eka Surya – He was born and raised on Lombok. He graduated from college and is now working in the tourist industry. He spends his free time helping non-profitable organizations as an English instructor of both, children and grown-ups. (photo in the gallery)

We sincerely thank you for your help!

Comments

Choose reward for your contribution

  • sold 0
    Something to eat

    A typical Indonesian meal. Meat balls with noodles in a strong soup. Every bakso tastes different, but we loved it. With this symbolical contribution you are going to give kids a nice lunch.

    Reward delivery: in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 0.72
    (CZK 18)
  • sold 2
    Hearty lunch

    Rice is the most common food in Indonesia. You can get it in many different variations. Famous Nasi Goreng costs about 2 Euro and students will have their stomachs full for a few hours after eating it.

    Reward delivery: in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 2.39
    (CZK 60)
  • sold 21
    Education book

    One student is going get a brand new book thanks to your contribution.

    Reward delivery: in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 3.18
    (CZK 80)
  • sold 29
    Lifetime contributor

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school.

    Reward delivery: in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 9.94
    (CZK 250)
  • remaining 43 from 50
    Nice scent

    You can give the air conditioner to your neighbors. You won’t be needing it with the Indonesian scent sticks anymore. Guaranteed quality.

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 13.91
    (CZK 350)
  • remaining 61 from 100
    Original bracelet

    We personally will bargain the best price for a handmade bracelet, which we’ll bring you straight from Indonesia.

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 15.90
    (CZK 400)
  • remaining 80 from 100
    House decoration

    Postcards are our biggest passion. We send them to ourselves from each country we visit. This time we’ll send one directly to you.

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 19.88
    (CZK 500)
  • sold 13
    Collection piece

    Nobody else has this. Kids themselves will draw you a nice painting as a thanks for your contribution.

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 27.83
    (CZK 700)
  • sold 5
    One month without worries

    You cannot rely on the Indonesian government; therefore, your contribution will cover operational costs for the school for one month. Thank you!

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 29.82
    (CZK 750)
  • remaining 13 from 30
    Photo in the living room

    One big photo will remind you your generous contribution. You can pick from the gallery we’ll send you afterwards. There’ll be some new photos from our future trip as well.

    We’ll also bring you a bracelet or send a postcard and your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 39.75
    (CZK 1,000)
  • sold 6
    Amazing salary

    Your contribution will cover a salary of one teacher.

    We’ll also bring you a bracelet or send a postcard and your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 85.87
    (CZK 2,160)
  • remaining 3 from 3
    Deep experience

    Have you ever wondered how is it possible for anyone to hold a breath under the water for more than five minutes? It’s actually not that difficult. You can learn the basics of free diving in a day without any problems. I personally was able to free dive with mantas near the Komodo island 10 meters deep thanks to it.

    You’ll get a one-day course of free diving AIDA for diving up to 10 meters. It was donated by Honza Bareš, instructor of free diving and the founder of Trash Hero Indonesia. He lives on Philippines, but visits Indonesia quite often.

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: in a month after the Hithit project end

    EUR 123.24
    (CZK 3,100)
  • sold 0
    Fish Romantics

    “When it’s full moon, fish are the most active,” told me Zuhirman and invited me on his boat. We set sail during the full moon and spent a couple hours on a completely calm water. That was a very strong experience for me. You’ll have a chance to experience the same thing  thanks to your contribution. You can claim your reward in the Zuhirman’s house.

    We’ll also bring you a bracelet, send a postcard and your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 132.50
    (CZK 3,333)
  • remaining 1 from 1
    Lombok waterfalls

    You cannot miss the amazing waterfalls of Sedang Gile. It's always nice to swim in a cold water on Lombok. And after lunch you can take a trek to the typical indonesian village. You'll remember this trip for a long time, I promise you that.

    This reward was donated by Eka Surya, who runs the company Lombok Hidden Trip. It's for two person and includes program for whole day, transport, driver and english speaking guide. More information:  http://www.lombokhiddentrip.com/p/sendang.html


    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: in a month after the Hithit project end

    EUR 145.74
    (CZK 3,666)
  • remaining 1 from 1
    Books for everyone

    This is just amazing! Really! You just provided brand new books to all students. The kids will be really happy.

    We’ll also bring you a bracelet, send a postcard, your name will be written on the walls of the school, we’ll bring you scent sticks, painting from the kids and you’ll get one big photo of your choice. Also we’ll meet with you and thank you in person, because you totally deserve it. Beer is on us.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 962.04
    (CZK 24,200)
  • remaining 1 from 1
    Brand new roof

    Watching the stars is nice, but brand new roof might be even cooler, for example when it rains. Your contribution will cover the costs of a new metal roof for more than thirty kids and that deserves a huge thanks!

    We’ll also bring you a bracelet, send a postcard, your name will be written on the walls of the school, we’ll bring you scent sticks, painting from the kids and you’ll get one big photo of your choice. Also we’ll meet with you and thank you in person, because you totally deserve it. Lunch is on us.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 1,574.24
    (CZK 39,600)
  • remaining 1 from 1
    Quite a fortune

    Just wow! We’re speechless. You really want to make is easier for us and we really appreciate it. Thanks to you we’ll be able to make everything possible. Build the roof, floor and everything else as well as the library.

    We’ll also bring you a bracelet, send a postcard, your name will be written on the walls of the school, we’ll bring you scent sticks, painting from the kids and you’ll get one big photo of your choice. Also we’ll meet with you and thank you in person, because you totally deserve it. Dinner is on us.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 2,067.18
    (CZK 52,000)
  • Sold out!!
    Faster than a wind

    Do you want to explore Bali? The best way is on the scooter! You'll eventually fall in love with this type of transport, I promise you that. You won't need to rent it, it will be prepared for you in Changgu.

    This reward was donated by Petr Hindrich, founder of Green-books.org. It includes rent of scooter on Bali for seven days. 

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: in a month after the Hithit project end

    EUR 44.17
    (CZK 1,111)
  • Sold out!!
    20 bottles of homemade beer

    Limited edition of exclusive beer reward. 20 beers of homebrewed beer. All amount goes straight to school.

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    (Czech republic only)

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 51.64
    (CZK 1,299)
  • Sold out!!
    One night in heaven

    Makawi Tuwa means generous land in Indian language. You’ll feel like in heaven over there. The ocean underneath you, above only stars. The beach will be only for you. Amazing stop during your trip around Bali.

    This reward was donated by Anie Songe and Lukáš Denmark, who run the accommodation on the east of Bali. It includes accomodation for one night. More infomartion: https://www.airbnb.cz/rooms/10813159

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: in a month after the Hithit project end

    EUR 67.58
    (CZK 1,700)
  • Sold out!!
    Weekely comfort

    Bali has a lot of synonym attributes, one of them being the heaven of surfers. You’ll for sure encounter many of them in the Riviera house in Changgu. Even if you don’t surf, you can spend couple of lovely days over there, same as we did.

    This reward was donated by Míla Brzák, who runs the accomodation. It includes seven nights in a stylish bamboo gazebo. More information: http://www.houseriviera.com/cs/

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: in a month after the Hithit project end

    EUR 111.31
    (CZK 2,800)
  • Sold out!!
    Včelí farma

    Do you want to explore Lombok in a different way than what says the guidebook? Now you have a unique chance! We didn't find a bee farm in any guidebook. Besided that you'll visit typical villages and you'll see how Indonesian people process honey.

    This reward was donated by Eka Surya, who runs the company  Lombok Hidden Trip. It's for two person and includes program for whole day, transport, driver and english speaking guide. More information:  http://www.lombokhiddentrip.com/p/honey-bee-farm.html


    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well. 

    Reward delivery: in a month after the Hithit project end

    EUR 145.50
    (CZK 3,660)
  • Sold out!!
    Solid floor

    There is nothing wrong with walking on sand, but thanks to your contribution the school will be able to buy a brand new floor. 27 pieces, 6 Euro each. Thanks a lot!

    We’ll also bring you a bracelet or send a postcard and your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 164.22
    (CZK 4,131)
  • Sold out!!
    Keg of beer

    Limited edition of exclusive beer reward. One of homebrewed beer. All amount goes straight to school.

    Your name will forever be written on the walls of the school as well.

    (Czech republic only)

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 186.80
    (CZK 4,699)
  • Sold out!!
    Green library

    Amazing! Thanks to you we’ll build a brand new green-books.org eco library in the school together with Petr Hindrich, full of colorful books about nature for kids.

    We’ll also bring you a bracelet, send a postcard, your name will be written on the walls of the school and you’ll get one big photo of your choice.

    Reward delivery: on address, in half a year after the Hithit project end

    EUR 238.52
    (CZK 6,000)