A CHILDREN’S HOME IN INDONESIA

Ventje and Dintje Tambuwun founded the Jewel of the Nation Children’s Home on July 13^th, 1998 on just ‘a hope and a prayer’. It was never their intention to embark on this venture, but after witnessing for themselves the toll the first year of the then economic crisis in Indonesia was taking on innocent, young children, they felt compelled to reach out and help them. The Book of Esther and her story through adoption and overcoming adversity to become a great leader and queen was inspirational. Ventje and Dintje felt that they too could impact children’s lives and become a guiding foundation to ensure ‘their children’ would mature and develop into good, caring, disciplined and productive individuals.

Many of the children are not ‘true’ orphans, instead coming from abusive and very poor homes. Without this home the children would be severely malnourished, have very little education or, in the worst case scenario, may even be dead. The first children were brought to the home by a father who carried his only daughter and his neighbor’s son and daughter. Both families were unable to provide for their children and turned to Ventje and Dintje to offer them hope.

Since APCF started supporting the Jewel of the Nation Children’s Home in 2007 the home has been able to expand rapidly and meet its ongoing needs for food, transportation, general bills and the schooling of all of the children. The ongoing assistance has to date allowed 3 children to attend university and 3 more to complete a mission training school. Today the Jewel of the Nation Children’s Home provides love, hope and a future for 18 boys and 19 girls, aged from 2 to 18 years old. Ventje and Dintje have also established a kindergarten, which provides education for children aged 4 and 5, not only from the home but also for those in the community.

Ventje and Dintje hope to start an elementary and high school in the near future in order to provide a constant, continuing Christian educational environment throughout the children’s schooling life. In order to achieve this at least two new buildings must be built. They are also in the process of building a separate house for the boys and a second one for the staff, for which the foundations have already been laid. Funds are missing, however, to complete these projects.

Ventje and Dintje are in process of expanding the orphanage by establishing a new children’s home in West Timor on Rote Island. The situation there is bleak after the financial crisis has taken a large toll on the lives of the local inhabitants. The island children often suffer with diseases and sicknesses such as diarrhea, tuberculosis, malaria and dengue fever. The orphanage is scheduled to open in April 2010. A staff of six is currently being trained to lead the home. 15 children have registered already.  Dintje’s parents have kindly donated 1000m2/10750ft2 of land, on which the home is being built. More funds are needed, however, for the development of this property.