VOA —
The turn of the year is often the right time for many people to make resolutions, which is the starting point for making changes. They open a new page and determine the targets and aspirations they want to achieve in the new year.
However, what if the resolution is to do charity and do good that has a positive impact on a community in need? A number of Indonesian diaspora members who are active in various social activities share their resolutions related to the charity organizations in which they are usually involved.
Hadi Joyowidarbo is the Executive Director of “Dompet Dhuafa USA”, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the welfare of underprivileged communities, both in Indonesia and America. His resolution with Dompet Dhuafa for 2024 is to help create jobs and provide access to education and health so that poor communities can improve their standard of living.
“We have a program called 'Healthy Pregnant Women' which focuses on providing health services to pregnant women. We will monitor and basically provide them with the services they need throughout the nine months of pregnancy and beyond. Then we will focus on community mental health, we will also focus on health clinics in Madrasas. “Ultimately, the goal is to provide access for people who need health services,” he explained.
“Dompet Dhuafa” volunteers prepare free food to be distributed to COVID-19 patients undergoing self-isolation in Tangsel, a suburb of Jakarta, Indonesia (photo: illustration).
Hadi explained the Dompet Dhuafa program which provides health services to pregnant women, monitoring and providing necessary care during the nine months of pregnancy and beyond. There are also programs that focus on mental health, and opening a health clinic in a Madrasah. The ultimate goal is to provide access to health services for people who need them.
Randy & Evy Gunawan, founders of “The Power of Compassion”
Husband and wife Randy and Evy Gunawan focus more of their attention on America. Together with the organization they founded more than eleven years ago, The Power of Compassion, their family almost every week provides food to the homeless community in the Washington, DC area and surrounding areas. To VOA, Evy Gunawan explained her resolution for 2024.
“Well, the people on the streets, especially those in the shelters that we serve, actually need love. Many of them have been neglected by their families, or have no family members, so they end up (losing everything) alone on the streets. It's good if you can still sleep in shelters, if the mentally ill are (abandoned) on the streets. So (as a resolution) let's be a blessing to difficult people, whatever we can do, just do it. Being able to cook a basket of rice is also a blessing for them, right? Share love with each other.”
Indonesian Diaspora Sahro Locke is involved in several charity organizations. He is the deputy chairman of Indonesia Relief USA, an NGO that distributes aid and assistance to victims of disasters or natural disasters in Indonesia, as well as being the founder of EDUSINDO (Education US-Indonesia) which provides free education for orphans or the underprivileged. Her resolution for 2024 is to raise awareness through information and special assistance via social media. He also hopes to be able to add English language programs for all ages as well as provide facilities for Indonesian students who want to study in America.
As Vice President of the Indonesian Muslim Association in America (IMAAM), Vivi Darmansyah is confident that she will carry out her 2024 New Year's resolution. To VOA, Vivi outlined four things in her resolution.
Vivi Darmansyah – Vice President IMAAM Center (private doc.).
“Firstly, making IMAAM more welcoming as a home for all Indonesian people in the DC, Maryland and Virginia areas. “Continue to strive to become a Center of Excellence for worship, socializing and learning the Koran and other religious knowledge for all,” said Vivi.
The second resolution, explained Vivi, is to make IMAAM more attractive for young people to come by making them comfortable at IMAAM with various positive activities designed by young people.
Third, empower administrators and volunteers with various useful training, not only for the progress of IMAAM but also for self-development for administrators and volunteers. Fourth, increase cooperation with other mosques and Islamic organizations, both local and national, to exchange information and collaborate on interesting programs for the Muslim community.
The results of a Forbes magazine survey towards the end of 2023 showed that not one of the 1,000 survey participants mentioned charity as a personal resolution. The top five most common resolutions are improving physical fitness, improving financial situation, improving mental health, losing weight and improving nutrition or diet. (aa/ka)