School Assistance has been distributed at Riche's house on 21 December 2024 - Photographed by Riche's collection
Today I am going to give an update on our project. The first is that the three children have received their monthly assistance. The second is an update on their school performance. Let's check it out!😊
First of all, I apologize for the delayed update. For those who are following our blog, you know why I am often late in providing updates on our project. School assistance is distributed on the 20th of each month. However, we might encounter circumstances where I am busy with my studies or Riche is occupied with other things as well.
Similar to last month, this month each one of them received IDR 300,000 to support their school matter and IDR 100,000 to support their families. As I mentioned before, this school assistance isn't much, but I do hope they can spend it wisely. And the funds come from our own pockets. Indeed, when we first initiated the school assistance program, we received some donations that lasted for 2 or 3 months. After that, the funds have come from our own pockets. We documented those donations and have published the records.
School assistance has been distributed at Riche's house on 21 December 2024 - Photographed by Riche's collection
As I mentioned above, I would like to provide an update on the children's school performance. Uun and Suci are currently ranked third, while Novi is ranked sixth. I am so proud of them! Despite the difficulties, they embrace the challenges and get through them. Normally, Novi is in the first or second rank, so this semester she dropped to sixth place. Riche told me that Novi cried because her rank dropped. I told Riche that it's okay and there's no need to worry. For me, ranks can rise and fall. The most important thing is that Novi maintains her spirit to study and her willingness to learn. That's what truly matters—knowledge is far more important.
Indeed, for some students and their parents, rank is important as they believe it brings success in the future. However, I have a different opinion. Without focus and commitment, we cannot achieve anything. Throughout my education, from primary school to my bachelor's program, I have seen many smart students who ranked above me. Moreover, many of them came from wealthy families, which meant they had the opportunity to study abroad and obtain the highest degrees if they wanted. However, this does not guarantee a successful future. I have seen average students, and even those from low-income families, achieve great things. Meanwhile, those with 'access' and 'facilities' often fell behind. Several years ago, I knew someone who ranked well in school and had a dream of studying in Germany. However, during university, in his second year, he lost focus and commitment, getting distracted by unnecessary things. As a result, he took seven years to complete his bachelor's degree. I was extremely disappointed in him. My question was, 'If you took seven years to finish your bachelor's degree, how can you study in Germany?' Even in Singapore, one of the requirements to pursue a master's degree is "finish a bachelor's in four years" (for those coming from Indonesia; typically, the bachelor's program in Indonesia is four years). Why? In Singapore, Bachelor's degrees typically take three years to complete.
What I am trying to say through the story above is that we need focus and commitment to achieve something. Keep your head down and study. Find something that makes you curious to learn. If, in the end, you achieve a high rank or become an honor student, that's a bonus. I understand it's not easy for those from low-income families, but embrace the challenge.
School assistance has been distributed at Riche's house on 21 December 2024 - Photographed by Riche's collection
I hope Novi, Suci, and Uun can understand that to have a better future, other things such as focus and commitment can shape our paths. Rank alone is not enough to achieve our dreams. Many factors influence how far we can walk or fly. A wise person once said, 'If we do what many others do, we will end up like them—average.' So, if we want to be different, we must do something different.
It seems I've talked quite a bit in today's update. Speaking of which, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! What are your wishes for the upcoming year? Whatever they are, I hope you can focus and commit to them.
Note:
- Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
- Photographed by Riche May A.
- Do not copy this article without permission
- Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission
