The Value of Every Child’s Smile

"Children mean everything to me. Their future must be bright. I will not let anything bad happen to the children in this village," said Rita firmly. Rita is a mother, who works as a farmer, has the courage to fight for the rights of children in her village. She has experienced many unpleasant treatments when defending children's rights. Intimidation, threats and ridicule did not deter her.  

"I once assisted a case of violence against children. The perpetrator's parents did not accept that the case was processed legally. At one point, the person came to my house drunk and angry. As a human being, I was afraid, but I persisted because there was a legal basis. I want the law to be upheld for the sake of a child's rights," she said. She realised that since she decided to actively join in activities that WVI’s faciliated, her life will always be on the path of righteousness. The challenges will not be easy but the price is worth fighting for, that is the well-being of every child. 

Looking back, Rita was once known as an indifferent villager, just like most other villagers. Her fellow villagers did not recognise the meaning of togetherness. Parents only cared about their own children and chose to ignore the condition of other children in the village. However, in one moment, she saw for the first time that children are actually the most vulnerable. "Children in the village are easily influenced, still unstable. Often it is the people closest to them who give them bad influence," she said. 

"I became interested in WVI's activities in the village because WVI’s work is all about children," she said. Since 2012, Rita has become one of the community volunteers who play an important role in making big changes in the lives of children. The village where Bu Rita lives is one of WVI's assisted villages in the Sambas Regency in West Kalimantan.  

Rita explained how her village is now child-friendly. "In the past, my child was my child, your child was your child. Now, the neighbour's child is our child too. So if there is a neighbour's child whose parents are in the fields all day, they are usually asked if they have eaten yet. If they haven't, they call them to the house and feed them". 

Thanks to Rita's assistance, parents now no longer discriminate between girls and boys. Now, every girl in the village can have the same opportunities as boys. "In the past, the old culture, girls were only in the kitchen. Why would they go to high school? But now many girls go to college. Parents have realised the value of education," she said. 

In addition to the positive impact on girls, the village government has also become more familiar with gender equality issues. Currently, Rita serves as a member of the Village Council (BPD). She represents women in the village. This means that women's voices and participation have been taken into account in village development programmes.  

Not just about gender equality and the importance of child’s rights, Rita also contributes to making a safe village for children. In the last three years, the village government and Rita have received zero complaints of violence against children. Both adults and children are aware of the importance of child protection. "There used to be a high number of child marriage cases in this village. But now I never hear about it anymore. The village government prohibit to process documents if a parent wants to marry their child and there are penalties too," explains Rita. 

According to Rita, the Parenting with Love (PDC) training she received through WVI has also had a big impact on parents. The PDC materials are able to change parents' mindsets about loving children in the right way. In addition, PDC is also a place for parents to reconcile with childhood memories that full of violence, and decide not to pass it on to their children now. "Parents now know how to love their children but don't know the meaning," said Mrs Rita, "for example, because they love their children, they give gadgets but don't limit the hours. Now, after the trainings, it's limited." 

Many changes have occurred in this village for the last 15 years. But for Rita, all her contributions to these changes started with herself. "All the things that I got from the trainings that WVI facilitated, it made me more aware, maybe I have also done the same thing as other villagers. This means that I have to change first, then I can spread it to the community. Because if you want to change, you have to do it from yourself first," she said. 

With conviction, Rita is committed to continuing her role as a community volunteer who prioritises the welfare of children in her village. She dreams that the children in her village will live a safe and prosperous life. For Rita, a child has a long future. Therefore, everyone should plant goodness in the child's life. So that later, in the future, he or she can continue to spread the goodness in the lives of the next generation. "I want the children in this village to smile. I don't want to go back to the old pattern and not have much insight about the importance of a child," she concluded. 

In 2023, WVI's operational office in Sambas Regency ended its programme implementation. After 15 years of assisting Sambas children and communities, the baton of community development is now in the hands of community members like Rita and also the local government. The changes that are currently happening will continue from generation to generation because of hopeful figures like Rita and other community leaders. 

Now children in one village in Sambas Regency no longer have to struggle to attend school, even children with disabilities can access education. "My child's friend has a disability. He was in primary school at the time and didn't go to school because his parents couldn't take him to school. Understandably, his mother had two toddlers so it must have been difficult to leave the house," said Rita. Seeing this condition, Rita then started to discuss with the school and find the best solution. The school finally realised that even children with disabilities have the right to education, and every teacher should be able to overcome the child's barriers in accessing education. 

"So the solution is for the teachers to deliver the children's assignments to their homes. This child successfully graduated from elementary school. I still remember how happy my son's friend looked when he showed me his primary school certificate. He really wanted to graduate from primary school and his dream was finally fulfilled," said Rita. 

To be a person who become the way for every child's hope is Rita's calling. It's not an easy calling, but it brings happiness that cannot be replaced with anything. Just like Rita who wants to make the children in her village smile, can we also be a way to put a smile on every Indonesian child's face? Visit the link wahanavisi.org/sponsoranak for detailed information on the child sponsorship programme that can be your way to create hope for the most vulnerable children in Indonesia. 

Author: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)