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Slank, Gojek team up to raise funds for informal workers
Anak Bangsa Bisa Foundation has teamed up with around 10 organizations that will distribute food packages.
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Legendary rock group Slank encourages people to share uplifting messages with informal workers. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
L
egendary rock band Slank has launched an initiative to raise funds for informal workers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in collaboration with the Anak Bangsa Bisa Foundation, which was founded by local tech giant Gojek and crowdfunding platform Kitabisa.
The initiative, called Sumbang Suara (donating voices), will run until June 30 with a target of Rp 15 billion (US$979,112.27), with proceeds going to angkot (public minivan) drivers, small-scale vendors and other informal workers in the country in the form of packages containing the nine basic commodities (Sembako).
People can also send donations through Slank’s Sumbang Suara page and the GoGive feature on the Gojek app.
Anak Bangsa Bisa is said to have teamed up with around 10 organizations that will distribute the food packages, including the National Alms Agency, Indorelawan.org, NU CARE-LAZISNU and Rumah Zakat.
“We’re still open to other organizations who want to collaborate with us,” the foundation’s head, Monica Oudang, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, adding that the initiative also encouraged people to share uplifting words that will be curated and displayed on the Gojek app. “Sometimes moral support can be highly important to get through a hard time. No matter how short the message, it certainly can be meaningful for [the workers].”
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“[The messages are] for those who are still working on the streets, while we’re staying at home,” said Slank drummer Bimbim. “We want them to realize that they’re heroes; they must be proud of themselves. Their lives may be simple but they’re able to help a lot of people.”
According to Bimbim, the band is set to compose special music about the informal workers. “We’d like to produce a single about them to lift their spirits,” he said. “During this pandemic, hope is something that we should hold on to. Hopefully they will remain hopeful due to our song.” (kes)
