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Spend a day at an orphanage: Why not?

Say cheese! Azerbaijan Ambassador to Indonesia Jalal Mirzayev (fourth right, standing) poses with children and his staff during the commemoration of Black January at Panti Asuhan Putra Setia orphanage in Jakarta on Saturday

Veeramalla Anjaiah (The Jakarta Post)
Wed, January 22, 2020

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Spend a day at an orphanage: Why not?

S

ay cheese! Azerbaijan Ambassador to Indonesia Jalal Mirzayev (fourth right, standing) poses with children and his staff during the commemoration of Black January at Panti Asuhan Putra Setia orphanage in Jakarta on Saturday. (JP/Veeramalla Anjaiah)

Most of us are blessed with families and friends, people who we can count on and bring joy to our lives. But some children are not as fortunate.

With these children in mind, the Azerbaijan Embassy in Jakarta, headed by newly appointed Ambassador Jalal Mirzayev, came up with an idea. The embassy organizes six to eight events on average each year to commemorate national events. Instead of organizing these events at hotels and restaurants, the embassy has chosen to hold some of them at a local orphanage.

“I came up with this idea to organize the commemoration of Black January at Panti Asuhan Putra Setia, a girls’ orphanage in Jakarta,” Ambassador Jalal told The Jakarta Post on Saturday at the orphanage.

Azerbaijan, which is a resource-rich country in the South Caucasus, was part of the Soviet Union.

On Jan. 20, 1990, the people of Azerbaijan rallied together and expressed their aspirations for independence and territorial integrity. Azerbaijan’s neighbor Armenia forcibly evicted Azerbajanis from both Armenia and Azerbaijan. It occupied Azerbaijani territory with the help of Soviet troops. On that day, Azerbaijanis protested in Baku and other cities against Soviet Union policies.

Soviet Union troops at that time responded by opening fire on unarmed protesters in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan.


"Instead of spending our time in malls or watching TV, if we spend our time with orphans, it will be good.


“On that day, 147 civilians were killed. Another 800 people were injured. They used guns, tanks and bayonets to kill people. Every year, we commemorate Black January to pay our respects and remember our heroes’ sacrifices,” Ambassador Jalal told the Post and Antara news agency.

Despite its attempts, the Soviet Union failed to suppress the Azerbaijani people’s independence movement. Azerbaijan finally became independent in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ambassador Jalal mentioned that the embassy also organized an event last month to remember the passing of Azerbaijan’s national leader, Heydar Aliyev, at the same orphanage.

As per the observation of the Post, the girls were glad to spend time with foreigners. Many of them drew paintings of Azerbaijan. One girl even made a poem about Azerbaijan and Black January.

The head of the orphanage, which is located on Jl. Kramat Sentiong No. 51, Kramat, Senen, Central Jakarta, was also happy.

“We are very happy to welcome the Azerbaijan ambassador and his team to our orphanage. We never had any foreign visitors. Our children are very excited to see foreigners and learn about Azerbaijan. We thank the ambassador for all the help,” Sumiati, the head of the orphanage, told the Post.

The Azerbaijan ambassador is not the only person who enjoys spending time with children at an orphanage.

Meet Valencia Nikita Lona, a 15 year-old girl who has made many friends at an orphanage in her area.

Valencia Nikita Lona (Courtesy of Joice Layla Andres)
Valencia Nikita Lona (Courtesy of Joice Layla Andres)

“During my school holidays a few years back, I decided to stay at Panti Asuhan Santo Vincentius Putri, a girls’ orphanage, for three days to play and get to know more about the girls. I enjoyed my stay,” Nikita, a ninth grader, told the Post.

The orphanage is located on Jl. Otista Raya No. 76, Cawang, East Jakarta.

The girls, according to Nikita, are always happy when guests come to visit them as this offers a change of pace from their daily routine.

“Instead of spending our time in malls or watching TV, if we spend our time with orphans, it will be good,” Nikita said. “My parents fully supported my idea to stay at an orphanage and encouraged me.”

Holding a birthday party at an orphanage instead of a mall or restaurant could also be a positive experience.

“I like to share my joy with orphaned children by celebrating my birthday at an orphanage. I invited all of my friends, many of them foreigners, to the orphanage for my birthday party. They all came with gifts, food and drinks, which we all shared together with the children,” Nyoman Erwinawati, an entrepreneur, said.

She celebrated her birthday at the Yayasan Sayap Ibu orphanage recently in Jakarta.

Although there are not any restrictions on when one can visit an orphanage, the best time would most likely be during the holy month of Ramadhan.

“One time, I was invited by my friend, Jennifer, to an orphanage to break the fast with the children there. They were all very grateful for the food and company,” Sanjeevini Pertiwi, an alumnus of the Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences (i3L) in Jakarta, said.

Jennifer told Sanjeevini that her parents organized the get-together on an annual basis at the Rumah Piatu Muslimin in Central Jakarta during the fasting month.

There are around 75 orphanages in Jakarta. To quote the words of inspirational author Shannon L. Adler: One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.

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