A Love Story that Changed Children's Rights in Wamena
Fransina, a young mother living in one of WVI's assisted villages, is a witness to the profound changes in realising children's rights in the villages. Together with the Child Care Programme volunteers in the village, Fransina has been part of the journey that has brought happiness and children's rights to her hometown.
Fransina remembers how in the past the church in Wamena, Papua did not fully realise the urgency of children's rights. Monitoring data on sponsor children in WVI-assisted villages shows facts that cannot be ignored: Only 23% of children have birth certificates, violence in parenting and limited access to education are the realities for many children in the village. "I can't let the children around me grow up in this uncertainty," says Fransina.
But thanks to the efforts of this team of volunteers and a growing awareness within the community, change is beginning to happen. "I felt inspired by Kak Ida, a great volunteer in the village, who initiated the fulfilment of birth certificates for children in her area, giving each child an official identity, and making us realise the importance of this," she says.
Fransina was further transformed when she attended the Parenting with Love training. "I felt I had to pay more attention to my children. I realised that even children need to be heard. Now our family is more harmonious because we apply parenting with love at home," she admits.
The Parenting with Love training in Fransina's village was facilitated by WVI in collaboration with the Church. Simple but meaningful changes have begun to take place among religious leaders also. Mr Gerardus, a Catholic Church leader who had felt that the church did not care enough about children, expressed his change of heart with tears in his eyes. "Now we start from small things, start greeting children, asking how they are. We start from such simple things," he said sincerely.
After a year, significant changes were felt in Wamena. Mr Gerardus began holding conversations with parents in the Church about Parenting with Love. It was from this small talk, which was full of messages about parenting, that Mr Gerardus came to know the figure of another child rights activist. "I saw the figure of Meyke, involved in the implementation of Citizen Voice and Action in one of the Churches so that 26 school-age children can go to school without the constraints of high costs.
Besides being passionate, Meyke feels honoured to be part of this change. Seeing children who were once hampered by school fees now being able to enrol without major obstacles is the greatest reward. Together with Fransina, Mr Gerardus, and other volunteers, Meyke not only fights for children's rights, but also becomes a tool to empower the surrounding community.
"God can use anyone to deliver his mission," Meyke says with conviction. "Now it's whether we want to or not. That's why I want to be an extension of God's hand to deliver his mission, especially for children's ministry."
This story is proof that when there is unity, even the smallest role can inspire great change. Fransina, and all of us, are part of this change. Let us together be witnesses of change and love for the realisation of children's rights in the hearts of Papuans.
Author: Joko Prasetyo (Area Program Manager Pegunungan Tengah, Papua)
Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)
