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Ramadan 'game' of ordering food for couriers encourages acts of kindness
It started as an internal game at a start-up that wanted to encourage its employees to share by ordering food for the couriers.
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Go-Jek drivers line up for Tuku coffee at the Pasar Santa branch in South Jakarta. (JP/Liza Yosephine)
T
he tenet “Ramadan is full of blessings” has inspired some creative people to carry out simple acts of kindness through the #WahyooChallenge, in which customers order food through an app not for themselves but for the courier breaking their fast.
It started as an internal game at a start-up that wanted to encourage its employees to share by ordering food for the couriers.
Tangerang resident Irma Suryaningsih, 32, said the idea came from her boss, Peter Shearer, founder of start-up Wahyoo.
“We all shared it on our social media accounts [using the hashtag] and it turned out a lot of our friends outside Wahyoo were interested and shared what they did [with the hashtag] with their friends too,” Irma told The Jakarta Post.
Dari tiga hari lalu bos kantorku ngajak anak-anak kantor ikutan #WahyooChallenge buat berbagi kebaikan.
Challengenya berupa:
1. Order makanan/minuman via ojek online dengan nominal ga harus mahal-mahal amat.
2. Makanan/minuman yg diorder sebenernya buat si driver.
— ╮(╯▽╰)╭ (@es_twr) May 11, 2019
Irma said she had done the challenge four times, the latest was by ordering a package of fried chicken, rice and a drink for Rp 40,000 (US$2.77) for the courier.
Initially, most of the couriers were surprised and even expressed disbelief, Irma said.
“The couriers usually got confused, perhaps they were afraid that they just got a fictitious order. Some even went on delivering the food to the marked destination to check whether it was true or not.”
“Perhaps they felt insecure and afraid that some people were trying to mess with them,” she added.
She said she wished more people would be encouraged to do simple good deeds such as through the #WahyooChallenge.
The hashtag, which Irma shared on her Twitter account, caught the attention of 22-year-old university student Hafiyyanti Kusuma Nugraha.
While she was at her campus at the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java, she ordered three full meals, spending Rp 104,000.
“The driver initially got confused and did not believe it, but in the end he did. It was quite touching when the driver said thanks and prayed,” Hafiyyanti said.
She said as it was Ramadan she wanted to share with the couriers.
“I've done a similar thing before I knew about the #WahyooChallenge. But because the context is the same, I shared my screenshot of the food order to encourage acts of kindness with fellow Twitter users,” Hafiyyanti said.
Baru aja ngelakuin ini kmrn. :') #kebaikanitumenular pic.twitter.com/GW5cmF7itd
— . (@avinugr) May 11, 2019
The challenge also reached those living outside of Greater Jakarta.
Dara Febriana, 26, of Kotagede, Yogyakarta, also took part in the challenge by ordering martabak telur (stuffed fried pancake) and martabak manis (sweet pancake) for Rp 44,000 for the driver.
She shared what she did on her Twitter account, tweeting “The challenge even reached Yogyakarta. Hope the kindness spreads”.
Challenge nya sudah merambah ke jogja kak 😬
Semoga kebaikannya terus menular.😍#WahyooChallenge pic.twitter.com/gCh0aGogKl
— 李心美 lǐ xīn měi (@DharaFibri) May 11, 2019
“The driver was dumbfounded and did not believe [the order was for him]. But then I explained saying that I bought the food for him to share with others,” Dara said.
She said app-based drivers “lived on the road” to carry passengers and food so they should be appreciated more.
“It just so happens that there was this challenge [to express appreciation for app-based drivers], so I shared it [on my social media]. It was not to brag, but to remind people that we also need to care for others by simple acts of kindness,” she said.
