Building Kamal Muara Peoples Houses

Teachers and staff from Tzu Chi School Indonesia demolished Ayanah’s house, one of the recipients of Tzu Chi’s help in the house building project at RT 10/01, Kamal Muara, Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

Ayanah (50) got teary-eyed when the teachers and staff from Tzu Chi School Indonesia began to demolish her house in Gg. Masjid, RT10/01, Kamal Muara village, Penjaringan, North Jakarta on Tuesday July 9, 2019. She went teary not because she felt sad, but instead, it was of happy tears since her dreams in years of renovating her house, that is often flooded, is soon to be realised through Tzu Chi Indonesia’s house building project.

‘I am happy, thank God, I cried when they started to demolish the old building,’ said Ayanah. Together with her daughter Sumiati (30), Ayanah watched the demolition process of her old house. Ayanah makes her living by washing other people’s clothes. While waiting for the house to be finished, she is currently staying at her relative’s house.

300 teachers and staff from Tzu Chi School were divided into 10 groups to work for ten houses that are to be rebuilt by Tzu Chi foundation.

“For now, I live in the small shop owned by my older brother until the house is done,’  said Ayanah. Initially, the house sat on a slightly lower than road surface, which made the house to be prone to flood. In spite of her house conditions, Ayanah, Sumiati and her husband had been living in this house for so long. Accompanied by Tzu Chi volunteers, Ayanah watched her dreams to slowly come true.

Ayanah’s life will be easier when once the house is rebuilt, since she will no longer be haunted by flood, ‘When it’s flooded, the water could go up to my thighs. The water won’t go out by itself, we have to scoop the water out with buckets for it to go down quickly,’ she added.

Likewise, Sumiati felt very thankful for the fact that the house she’s been living in will be renovated, ‘I have never imagined that it will be rebuilt, I am so grateful. It’s been years of difficulties, we’re finally given a way to stop this,’ as she told us when she accompanied her mother to meet Tzu Chi teachers and staff.

Ayanah and Sumiati checked on the debris from their old house. This marked the beginning of the rebuilding of their houses by Tzu Chi foundation.

Aside from Ayanah’s house, there were nine other houses in RW 01 and RW 04 of Kamal Muara, Penjaringan, North Jakarta that were demolished by the 300 teachers and staff from Tzu Chi School Indonesia. Those teachers and staff were participating in the teacher’s training programme at the beginning of the new school year, in which one of the activities was to be involved in the community service.

This trip marked the start of the project to rebuild 10 old houses, which were surveyed and agreed by Tzu Chi Indonesia in June 2019.

Society Service
It was not for no reason that those staff and teachers of Tzu Chi School were involved directly in this community service. In welcoming the new school year, 300 of Tzu Chi school’s teachers and staff joined in the teacher’s training programme, to improve the education and teaching quality of the school. ‘This activity allows teachers to not only taught about community service at school, but they are also taught on how to do them and implement the knowledge they received directly in the community, and to be inclusive of all kinds of people,’ said Mr Sudino Lim, Tzu Chi School Director who led the demolition process done by his teachers.

With the help of one of construction workers, teachers and staff of Tzu Chi School Indonesia tore down one of Ayanah’s walls.

Mr Lim hoped by being involved in the community, this community service could touch teachers’ and staff’s hearts, ‘I hope they are touched by such humanistic events, since this feeling is important for teachers to teach in class, so that our mission in education can be achieved,’ Sudino added.

The 300 teachers and staff from Tzu Chi School were divided into 10 groups of 30, and were accompanied by Tzu Chi volunteers. One of the teachers who participated was Kisia, Grade 1 teacher from Tzu Chi school, who was grateful and happy for the chance to help others. ‘I am very happy, and I can feel the difference now that I can help people in need directly, since I was only given the theory yesterday,’ said Kisia.

Besides Ayanah’s house, teachers and staff from Tzu Chi School Indonesia also helped demolish 9 other houses in RW 01 and 04 of Kamal Muara, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, to later be rebuilt by Tzu Chi foundation.

Kisia was also felt very touched and proud of the school and the foundation, for its continuous support in helping people in need, ‘This is my first time seeing things like this, I mean, I’ve seen (suffering) a lot in slideshows, and I can really feel the difference when you see it for yourself. I thought to myself “how can they live in this kind of situation,”. We must be grateful for what we have,’ explained Kisia further after she had a talk with Ayanah.

Giving Hopes while being a Role Model to Others
The teachers and staff involvement in the community service by demolishing 10 house in Kamal Muara village was welcomed by Teksan Luis, Tzu Chi volunteers who was in charge for the house project in the area. ‘Today we demolished ten houses in Kamal Muara, specifically for RW 01 and RW 04. We received help and support from Tzu Chi School teachers and staff,’ said Teksan.

While watching the process, Teksan felt the positive energy reflected by teachers during this activity, ‘It is amazing to see their enthusiasm, despite the dust and dirt on their T-shirts, they are still able to keep their smiles happily,’ said Teksan after he went through each group.

Tzu Chi School Director, Mr Sudino Lim (right) had a chat with Sadin, the communion head of RW 01 of Kamal Muara village in the middle of the demolition process.

The ten houses are targeted to be finished within the next 2-3 months. Teksan hoped that Tzu Chi’s effort in rebuilding houses these ten houses could help the people in need. ‘I am hoping this project would be able to improve people’s lives here, for them to be able to live in a decent place and have a better quality of life,’

Sadin, the head of community unit (RW) 01 of Kamal Muara, Penjaringan, North Jakarta also happy with the efforts by teachers and staff from Tzu Chi School. He saw this effort as something very positive and very useful for his people, ‘I like seeing the togetherness in this, this makes such an excellent example for other organisations, and a great model for the society that we can help each other, be good to each other, and be great at working together,’ explained Sadin.

Translated by Stela (Tzu Chi School)