The pretty student in the picture on the previous page is Inong, a talkative six-year-old girl from Aceh, Indonesia, who is considered to be one of the cleverest in her class. But till April 2007, people believed she had a hearing and speech impairment. Inong's parents were poor and struggled to look after her and her brother, Furqon. The girl would neither interact with other children nor talk to anybody. She would work at the brick factory along with her mother. When she found the time, she would wander about the village alone. At times, children would take away the playthings she found and Inong would not protest.
One day, Natascha Barrymore accompanied Inong to one of the local beaches and was astonished at what transpired. The then four-year-old began to suddenly run around, screeching with joy.
"She could speak!" says Barrymore, "It was just that she did not want to. To this day, I have no idea why she didn't (speak) or what made her refuse [to talk]. When offered security and attention, the transformation in her was startling. Today she laughs and plays with children, speaks and even shouts!" But who is Barrymore and what was she doing in the remote village in Indonesia? Born of a German mother and an Indian father, Barrymore's growing up years were spent moving between England, Germany and Oman. After having worked in the retail industry, she worked as a beauty and aromatherapist and then in a radical career shift moved to work in the aviation industry. She was based in Rhodes, Greece.
Hope after destruction
In December 2004, the tsunami hit Indonesia, among others countries. Something about the scale of the tragedy moved Barrymore to a place in her mind from which her life trajectory took on an entirely different path. She worked to raise money to buy 450kg of medicines and took the first flight out of Greece to volunteer in Aceh.
"My initial plan was to stay for three weeks, help the people, and return to my regular life. But as I got involved, especially in complex issues of children's health, I was struck by the courage and resilience of the Acehnese people and I extended my stay to eight months," says Barrymore.
She first started volunteering in remote areas near Aceh, helping the Turkish and Afghan teams that had medical and transportation facilities. "I was surrounded by children and couldn't help but think of my own biological clock and love for children. Looking at them, I thought, ‘I don't need to have a child of my own; I can have so many here.'"
Barrymore worked tirelessly.
The constant exhaustion and emotional stress of dealing with sick coupled with numerous earthquakes, that were the tsunami's aftermath threatened to get the better of her. "I had two choices: continue till I collapsed or leave and return with more organised form of support. I chose to do the latter," she says.
After leaving Indonesia, Barrymore worked for two years to set up Chance International, an NGO, to help vulnerable communities in Aceh. The goal was to support education, health, child welfare and community support programmes.
Initially, she was apprehensive; the programme did not receive funding. Despite that she went back to Aceh, hoping to find support. Once in Aceh, her dedication for her cause continued unabated despite inadequate funds. Barrymore began to send out signals to the world seeking funds so her project could truly take off. And then, the world responded. Help poured in from all over. From areas like graphics, web hosting, web maintenance, accounts, proposal writing to legal advice, Barrymore found people more than happy to volunteer. In Aceh itself, the rehabilitation efforts in education and vocational training by Chance International spread by word of mouth.
Though financial support poured in, it was difficult to get enough hands to help. "People weren't willing to come to Aceh for prolonged periods as the living conditions are poor. The place still does not have running or clean water; proper power supply; transportation facilities."
This prompted Barrymore to find ways to continue the work of Chance International by enlisting help from the local communities.
Finding teachers among the Acehnese
Within a year, Barrymore had established a primary school and decided to request those with university level educational qualification - looked upon as a huge achievement - to teach children. While these teachers didn't have the requisite qualifications to teach, they were happy to find employment at a time when the rate of unemployment was more than 40 per cent and the only earning avenue was by working in the local brick factories. Barrymore talks about an Acehnese girl, 14-year-old Mawardah, who used to work at one of the brick factories and couldn't attend school regularly. "Often she and her family had to go without food as well. When the tsunami hit, she and her brother, Hanifullah, were separated from the parents and found themselves under debris till rescue teams got to them. Fortunately their parents found them and the family was reunited."
As the trauma of the tsunami began to heal slowly, Mawardah's family encouraged her to go to school, even though she was too old. (She was 14). "She was incredibly determined," says Barrymore. "She learnt how to use the computer and passed the touch typing course. She would be one of the first to arrive and the last to leave the school. She would help tidy and clear away after school. Even in the monsoon, she would arrive drenched, shivering, determined to stay until the end. Sometimes she mustered the courage to borrow a book so she could study at home. She inspired me to create a library. Today we are able to lend more than 600 books."
Barrymore offered Mawardah a job as a touch-typing teacher. "She was the best in class and always helped other children. She earned that job through her own effort, willpower and hard work. I once asked Mawardah how she spent her wages, expecting a frivolous answer. She replied that she used the money to purchase rice."
Fitrah is another example of how children in Aceh, despite their severely constrained conditions, aspire to a better life. As a 10-year-old she used to work after school at a brick factory so she could buy milk for her two younger brothers. After Barrymore inducted her into the charity's programme, Fitrah stood first in the typing class and now, even though she is still a teenager, she teaches typing to other children. She is also working as the ‘secretary' for the head of the village checking and replying to his emails.
Then there is Aji, seven, who dreams of becoming an astronaut like Neil Armstrong. She says the fact that Aji nurtures a dream of becoming an astronaut despite not knowing who Armstrong is is edifying. These children, along with many more, have given Barrymore's vision more power.
Harnessing local support
Barrymore has always maintained that Chance International is for the local people. Before starting the programme, she had several meetings with parents, village heads and children. "We have the full support of the community; most parents do not want their children to be working in factories. The local primary school is several villages away," she says. She cites an instance of how despite this physical hardship, children are eager to learn. "A few weeks ago, due to heavy rains, I was debating whether I should go to our school. I was so sure that the children would not show up. Still my sense of responsibility compelled me to go and to my amazement there were 70 of them there, drenched to the bone, already waiting for me."
Barrymore believes it is very important to encourage the children by offering them incentives to continue to have the passion for learning. "We have a ‘star' system where they receive a star for regular attendance and an extra one for good work. At the end of the week, we give away prizes like pens, notebooks or books to the student who has earned the most stars. Periodically we also arrange for outings, which are rare for these children and these experiences have led them to take to drawing and depict their experiences on these outings."
Another important part of the programme is the Disaster Risk Reduction project in which the school offers swimming lessons. (Even though it is only a donated inflatable swimming pool.)
Looking into future
Looking back at how it all began and where it has gotten to, Barrymore says, "I never imagined that we would be in the position we are in today. I dream of the day when some of our children would have finished university and are fulfilling their dreams."
She is currently looking at opening a second school. But she also harbours a more ambitious dream. "I wish that one day the local people will be empowered enough to run their own programmes with minimal inputs from Chance International."
Her wish, she believes, will come true because in her own words, "When a child is part of the programme, the family is also part of it."
what a dollar can do
Natascha Barrymore gives a few examples of just how far a little money can go in Indonesia. [All the figures are in US$]
- $1 (Dh3.67): supplies 6 children with a glass of milk
- $2 (Dh7): buys a school uniform shirt
- $5 (Dh18): pays the salary of two computer/typing teachers for a week
- $10 (Dh36): buys 15kg of rice enough to feed a family for 22 days
- $20 (Dh73): covers the cost of our Kindergarten program for a week
- $40 (Dh146): Three months supply of fortified milk for a severely malnourished child.
- $100 (Dh367): Forty text books
- $150 (Dh550): the salary of 12 teachers for one month
For more information, contact Chance International at info@chanceinternational.net or visit www.chanceinternational.net. Natascha Barrymore can be contacted at nataschabarrymore@hotmail.com or cparsons@parsonslc.com.
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