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pair of children sneakily left their group to play on the helipad of the 125-meter-long KRI Banjarmasin-592 warship. After a while, they returned to their peers and engaged in various children’s games, including singing, in the ship’s lounge.

They were among 198 less-privileged and physically disabled children from seven foundations across Greater Jakarta partaking in an event on Tuesday called “Joy Sailing”, organized by the Women’s International Club Jakarta (WIC) and the Indonesian Navy.

The children examined several important facilities inside the ship, including the landing platform dock and the navigation cabin. They spent about four hours on board the Indonesian-made ship exploring Jakarta Bay before returning to the Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta at noon.

“Although I cannot see, I can feel the nuance of the vast sea,” said 18-year-old Dennis Griffin Wijono, who has been blind since birth.

Dennis’ inability to see did not hinder his curiosity as he kept moving his feet to explore parts of the ship. In the navigation room on the front deck, he tried to locate the ship on the map under the guidance of the navigator.

He said that he had looked forward to participating in the event since his teacher at the Elsafan Foundation in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, announced last week that 20 students would go on the sea trip.

The event, which was part of the WIC’s annual social activity, was lauded by the participants because it gave new experiences to the children and exposed them to new friends.

Teacher Een Ratnengsih, who has taught since 1984 at the Winasis School for children with psychological disabilities in Tebet, South Jakarta, said that outings, including interactions with nature, were necessary to support the children’s mental development.

“Children with mental disabilities such as Down Syndrome always learn from experiences. For example, if they pee in their pants, they probably won’t repeat it again on the next day because they realize how uncomfortable it is to get wet pants,” she said.

The head of the WIC’s social welfare division, Gina Alamsjah, said that the child-themed event was part of the commitment of the club, which was established in 1950 to empower society.

The club made the decision for the child-themed activity in a meeting of its executive committee, which represented about 500 members from across Greater Jakarta.

“We often organize similar events, including giving scholarships to under-privileged children for some notable state universities in Jakarta,” she said.

Meanwhile, the commander of the ship, Lt. Col. Rakhmat Arief, said the Navy would keep supporting events aimed at promoting public awareness of Indonesia’s nautical affairs and, at the same time, promoting the image of the Navy. (fac)