'Madrasah' uplifted by self-sustaining program

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 08/15/2007 1:19 PM  |  Life

Tiffany Wan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The whirring of sewing machines is not a sound typical to the quiet facilities of a madrasah, or Muslim day school. But four days a week at the Ibtidaiyah Darul Ulum madrasah in Kemang, South Jakarta, several women hunch intently over industrial sewing machines, piecing together scraps of recycled plastic into the unexpected: a stylish bag.

Part of a pilot program implemented by Seattle-based non-profit group Uplift International, these unconventional seamstresses are mothers of madrasah students recruited to make bags from recycled detergent pouches purchased from local scavengers for Rp 6,000 a kilogram, as opposed to the going rate of Rp 2,000.

In exchange, the women are able to earn extra income for their families and to provide the school with badly needed maintenance funds.

Most of the students' families earn between Rp 100,000 and Rp 150,000 a week, with fathers working jobs as construction workers, bajaj drivers and furniture cleaners at Kemang's many antique shops.

""I find it interesting that we can make beautiful products with this rubbish,"" said Ibu Samanih, 32, the mother of a 9-year-old student.

Trained by the XSProject, a Jakarta-based non-profit dedicated to making functional accessories from plastic waste, eight mothers and four teachers collaborate Mondays through Thursdays on making the bags.

Uplift provided the sewing machines, thread, fabric, cutters and cutting boards, and paid for any workspace renovations.

""Now we have the teachers and parents working together, whereas before we had little to do with each other,"" said Siti Makbullah Haji Muhammad, 41, teacher coordinator at the madrasah.

""Most madrasah do not have such close interaction between teachers and parents. The success of the sewing group depends on consistent determination and spirit,"" she said.

But bags are only the beginning. The project aims to create a sustainable program for the students of selected madrasah and their families to learn about proper nutrition, health and hygiene for better living.

By November, the schools will also receive a supply of dried food to demonstrate proper nutrition, which was provided by a US$98,000 grant to Uplift from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Water filtration systems and toilets will also be provided to the madrasah.

The nutrition component of the program will commence when the food arrives in November.

So far, Uplift have selected 15 madrasah in Jakarta to receive the nutrition, health and hygiene education, with a final goal of reaching 30 madrasah and 6,000 students.

Ibtidaiyah Darul Ulum is the first school chosen by Uplift to implement the bag-making project, which seeks to create a sustainable income base to continue practicing healthy eating habits and lifestyles.

Eventually, all 30 madrasah involved in Uplift's program will train with XSProject to make bags and other accessories. The products are sold on Uplift's website and all proceeds go to the families and the schools.

The madrasah were chosen based on several criteria, including the financial need of the students' families, the condition of available workspace and cooperation from school administrators.

But the American non-governmental organization (NGO) found that it wasn't easy to approach many of the madrasah. Some that were propositioned weren't open to the idea, while others were simply not organized enough to take on the bag-making project and health program.

But administrators at the Ibtidaiyah Darul Ulum madrasah saw things a little differently.

""It's rare for outside groups to get involved in the interests of madrasah,"" said Siti.

""When Uplift came forward with the idea, I could see immediately where it was going and the opportunities it could create. I heard other madrasah were not as open because they did not grasp the idea, but I did. I want to see progress at this school,"" she said.

Geni Achnas, country director for Uplift, said the main obstacle for the program would be sustainability, noting how government financial support is scarce for madrasah, which are privately funded through admission and tuition fees.

Because public schools are often overcrowded, many families have no choice but to send their children to madrasah, said Geni. She believes that the local government will eventually have to pitch in for the program to have any chance of prolonged stability.

""The local government has to pick up this nutrition and health program and put it into their annual allocations,"" said Geni, 48. ""But the most important part is bringing awareness to the community surrounding the children. The program has to have sustainability for this education to be life long.""

Geni hopes that community involvement will help spur vocal advocacy to grab the government's attention about funding for madrasah. When the food supplies come in November, Geni said workshops will be held between participating schools, community members and local government officials to exchange ideas and information.

She acknowledged that the selected madrasah were only a part of the larger problem concerning poorly funded schools in Jakarta.

""There are so many schools for the government to cover,"" said Geni. ""But maybe as an NGO, we can do our small part to lift up some (of the) poorer schools.""

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

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