Pondok Kasih is a Non-Profit Organization that contributes to several community-based activities.

One of the activities that my friends and I decided to do was an orphanage visit to Rumah Anak Pondok Kasih in Gayungan, Surabaya. There are around 40 people that live in the house; the majority of them are elementary kids, several babies and teens.

As a group, we donated basic household supplies to the orphanage based on their list of what they were lacking in resources. We also donated our time, around 3 hours, having fun with the kids by playing games, singing and having lunch together.

We planned the activities about a month before. We met amongst ourselves as well as with our supervisor to get a clear image of how Pondok Kasih works, what it needs and what we should do. (Initiative and Planning)

My group worked together to discuss the best activities to do with the children and we learned to collaborate while still dividing tasks amongst ourselves, taking on different roles and jobs for the planning and initiation of the visit. (Collaborative Skills)

We kept in mind that we needed to be very sensitive to the things we say and do while we were there in order to not come across as offensive. Also we wanted to try our best to find activities that can involve everyone, regardless of their age. (Ethics of Choices and Actions)

During our visit, on the 15th September, we reminded each other about the ethics, choices of our actions and conversations so it remained appropriate for the kids. For example, when we were playing charades, we made sure to pick words that are child-friendly and easier to guess so that they can still win and guess correctly. We were also made aware of how fortunate we are to have the things we have, and this visit really made us reflect on this.

 

Jacqueline Kwari

Grade 12 DP

 

Visiting and donating food supplies, daily supplies and school supplies to a local orphanage has been a great experience for me. Other than donating, we also played games to entertain the kids and provided lunch boxes.

 

We encountered some difficulties during this activity, as the children are different ages and some didn’t understand what the games meant. Some of the children were hard to control, but most of them showed a lot of enthusiasm.

 

I chose this activity because I wanted to experience and see something new. My visit to the orphanage opened my eyes and I am able to be more thankful for what I have today. Visiting the orphans, playing and getting to know the children better, makes me feel happy.

 

Vanessa Sianto

Grade 12 UDP