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Learning center offers hope, education to children living 'under the bridge'
The school itself is free but often prioritizes children who need help both educationally and financially to prevent overcrowding.
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High tech: Students use gadgets and smartphones to help them with their studies. (JP/Rafaela Chandra)
A
humble yet determined woman from North Jakarta does everything she can to improve the lives of poor children living in the prostitution zone of Cilincing, North Jakarta.
Inside a small, blue building, eight children are seen seated together, each writing in their own book.
Guided by Putri, their teacher, they are currently learning about animals.
These children are students of Rumah Belajar Merah Putih (Red and White Learning Center), a school and learning center established in 2007 by Desi Purwatuning, known as Bunda Desi by her students, along with her late husband Muhammad Hasan Ridwan.
Driven by her interest in reading, Desi initially set up the learning center as a reading park in front of her house in Cilincing, North Jakarta. Her vision for it changed when one day, she spotted a young boy holding a book in an unusual way.
“I saw him reading a book upside down, so I asked him where he lived and he said, ‘under the bridge’, and I was shocked to find out what was happening to him,” Desi said.
