Hi, all of you, how you doing? Well, I have good news today that I want to share with all of you. What is it? Of course, it is about the monthly school assistance that we gave to the kids. Who's knows, right, we are at the end of the year now and I hope for the best in next following year ahead.
Last night my dearest friend, Riche, sent me a message that the kids came to her house and had taken their money. As you know, since Riche got pregnant and now she has a baby, the kids come over to her house every month to take their school assistance. Unlike before, my friend, Riche, who the one came to the kid's house every month to distribute the money.
Unlike a month before, this month is different because my husband and I decided to give them a little reward to the kids. What kind of reward is that? Well, for all of their hard works at school it time for me to cheer them up with a little happiness by giving them additional money, called it an appreciation reward.
In past, I always received a reward from my father when I could show achievement at school. My father asked me, "what do you want?" Whatever I asked he would have taken me to the shop and bought something that I want. Well, typically, I asked for school shoes, however, sometimes I asked for things that unusual such as "executive bag" can't you believe that? When I remember that time I always feel silly 😅 I was in grade 3 at the time. You know what, my father went to the city after work and bought a square brown leather bag, it was an "executive bag" that I wanted. Unfortunately, that "executive bag" had a long size and little big compare to my body that very skinny and hadn't grown tall enough. A few days later my father came back home from work and brought a dark brown "executive bag" with a square size that I could carry. The next day I went to school with that bag and felt proud to carry it even though my friends bullied me because my bag was weird for kids. Of course, it was a weird bag because it supposes an executive employee who will carry this kind of bag with an important document inside, not a 7 years old kid 😂😁
School assistance for Suci in December 2020 is IDR 125,000, an additional IDR 100,000 to support her family during the pandemic, and IDR 100,000 is an appreciation reward for Suci - Photographed by Riche's collection
Besides giving a reward for my hard work at school, my father also gave me a gift for some occasion events such as when he got a bonus from the company, a birthday gift, and also when the festive season came. Usually for birthday gifts my father just simply asked me what I wanted to buy, and it was the same: school shoes. Meanwhile, a gift for the festive season was always a new dress, basically a beautiful dress. The only one that different was when my father got a bonus; he would buy an expensive gift for me like a necklace.
School assistance for this month (December 2020) has been distributed at Riche's house - Photographed by Riche's collection
At the time many people around my father disagreed on how my father treated me by giving a lot of rewards and many gifts. They said I was a "spoil-brat" kid. But, my father kept quiet and silent and hadn't provoked them not even once. After 1995, my father was just the cheapest labor at a factory and couldn't buy a reward or gift for me anymore even the cheaper ones. Then what happened? Believe it or not, I still became one of the best students at school and achieve something that not every student could have. Moreover, I started working at 11 to earn money for bought or paid my school expenses or anything daily life I needed.
What is the point of the reward in my story? This is what I have believed until today that my father knew I would achieve something at school whether he gave me a reward/ gift or not. I studied hard because I wanted to, not because I would receive a reward/ gift from my father. A reward/ gift that my father gave me was just something to cheer me or I deserved it. One thing that my father taught me was that "school is important for my future life, go get to higher education and become an educated person." That why I had a good academic record, and still pursue my academics until today.
School assistance for Uun in December 2020 is IDR 125,000, an additional IDR 100,000 to support her family during the coronavirus crisis, and IDR 100,000 is an appreciation reward for Uun - Photographed by Riche's collection
We gave a reward for Novi, Uun, and Suci this month is because they deserve it, and I just want to appreciate them for their hard work at school. If you are following Ichikraft Give and Care then you know that Novi also works after school to help her parent at the field sometimes. How about another kid? Like other villager's kids, they are also helping their parents doing household chores. One thing that I admire about them, although they have difficulties in life, they still maintain to achieve something at school without facilities such as a computer, enough books, access internet, et cetera. That the reason why I help them and give school assistance.
How much the kids got? Novi received IDR 175,000 for her school assistance, IDR 100,000 to support her family during the pandemic, and IDR 100,000 for an appreciation reward. Meanwhile, Uun and Suci, each received IDR 125,000 for their school assistance, IDR 100,000 to support their family during the coronavirus crisis for each, and each got IDR 100,000 for an appreciation reward.
Many thanks to my friend, Riche, who always help me to distribute the money for the kids. I hope with this little support these kids can reach their dream and have a better life in the future. "School is the passport to get a better life in the future; will bring us from nothing to something, from nowhere to somewhere."
Founder Ichikraft Give and Care, Acik Mardhiyanti
Note:
- Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
- Photographed by Riche's collection
- Do not copy this article without permissions
- Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission