Memorable Visit to Grantee Partners in Indonesia!

Posted 18 June 2018 in EMpower News   |   Share

Hong Kong Development Manager, Jacqueline Chen, EMpower President, Marta Cabrera and Board Director, Maddy Foo recently traveled to Indonesia to visit grantee partners in Bali and Jakarta.

Their first visit was to East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) where they were thrilled to see that the organization had resumed their programs after the evacuation caused by the volcanic eruptions of nearby Mount Agung. EMpower currently funds in-depth training in nutrition, sexual and reproductive health and rights, financial literacy, computer skills and job readiness to support young people stand out in the competitive job market. In the 7th round of EMpower’s Spark & Ignite grant awards in Fall 2017, EBPP also received additional funding to implement their innovative ideas to engage boys as champions for gender equity. They encouraged students to research and conduct interviews within their communities on traditional gender norms, and the young boys have since put together approaches to share their message. We look forward to the impact that these boys will have! Take a look through the photos from the visit and read about other students they had the pleasure of meeting, here!

Following this exciting visit, they met with ROLE Foundation‘s Bali WISE trainees. In the four years that EMpower has supported the Bali WISE program they have seen the organization and team grow exceptionally. ROLE Foundation was one of the 10 grantee partners selected to participate in a sexual and reproductive health and rights workshop conducted and funded by EMpower in Vietnam. The Bali WISE program trains young people for careers in the hospitality sector and has expanded its training curriculum for young women, to include classes on basic entrepreneurship skills and empowerment. The bilateral exchange with two of EMpowers Vietnam-based grantee partners (REACH and KOTO) with similar livelihoods programs, has encouraged ROLE Foundation to add a new outreach component to its existing curriculum, to encourage trainees to pay it forward within their local communities. In addition, their exchange with KOTO encouraged them to create an Alumni Club, so that existing trainees can benefit from mentorship and referrals from alumni networks. Watch the touching message the young students shared to EMpower during their visit here!

Their final visit was to Yayasan Hidung Merah (Red Nose Foundation), a centre nestled in Cilincing. Situated in the heart of a fishing community, it is also where many households live below the poverty line in North Jakarta. They were welcomed by a group of young people who joyfully performed a circus routine to much cheering from the EMpower team! A founding member of the Asian Social Circus Association, Red Nose Foundation believes in social circus as a powerful tool to empower at-risk youth. The Performance Circus Troupe program offers a place for advanced students to hone their athletic ability, perform in front of crowds, and see the world outside of their slum communities. We are so excited for two participants who were handpicked by a visiting circus team to attend a one-month exchange program in Chicago, USA! Check out some photos of their performance to EMpower visitors here!

We are most grateful to East Bali Poverty Project, ROLE Foundation and Red Nose Foundation for their generous hospitality and to the wonderful young people who shared their stories and talents. We look forward to sharing more of your progress again soon! Thank you also to our generous donors, without whom we would not be able to fund such exciting programs.