Day 6
In the morning, when we reached the orphanage, the kids were
expecting us again with their unforgettable smiles. One of the kids, Wahyu,
immediately came over to greet us excitedly. We then remembered that today is
our last day and we will not see the kids anymore.
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| One of the kids was really happy when we arrived |
We then set off to prepare for our construction work. We
started by first hacking and removing the soil in order to level the ground in
front of the house. It was hard work but every single one of us contributed. We
split into two different groups, one in charge of hacking the ground, while the
other is in charge of removing the soil. The latter formed a human chain to
increase the efficiency, which proved that teamwork does play an important role
in our everyday lives.
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| Hacking and removing the soii |
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| Passing buckets of soil |
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| Pouring the soil to the nearby area |
In the afternoon, we went to visit the orphanage, where most
of them live. One of the orphanage kids, Pikki, led us around the orphanage,
and showed us their living quarters. The condition that they were living in was
beyond our disbelief. The way they dispose their waste is very unhygienic and may
pose a threat to the people living in the orphanage. Pikki also showed us many
other places, such as the rehabilitation centre, the prayer rooms, and their
own rooms. The room was clearly not properly kept clean and unsuitable for
children to live in. At that moment, our heart went out to them, and we
realized how hard their lives have been. Pikki also mentioned to us that there
was a thunderstorm yesterday, and that one of the roof has collapsed. The trees
were also uprooted and the place was in a mess.
After lunch, we went back to building the wall until 3.30pm.
When we finished our building, we felt a sense of accomplishment and felt
satisfied that we had done something for the community over there in Batam. The
feeling we felt was indescribable, and there really was a stark contrast to
when we first started building it. After that, we went in for one last dance
together with the children. It was then where we realized how hard it would be
to part with them. It was an enjoyable experience where everyone had fun, and
we knew that we could not get it anywhere else. We said our goodbyes and well
wishes. Some of them asked if we were going to come back, and many of us had to
fight back our tears, and put a strong front until we left.
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| Passing the bricks to build the wall |
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| Builiding the wall using cement and bricks |
We learnt many lessons today while building and bonding with
the children. We learn to persevere as the hacking of the ground was really
tough and we took a lot of time to level the ground properly. From leaving the
kids, we learn to let go of our bonds with them. The feelings are inevitable,
but we learn to be strong when a challenge confronts us. There really is no
other way about doing it, except to do the best you can.
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| Dancing 'Waka Waka' with the kids |
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| One of the kids was crying when we were about to leave |
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| The 5th Saints Advocate and the kids at the orphanage |
We plan to gain inspiration from this OCIP trip and bring
across the message to the students in SAJC. One way that we came up with was
actually to have a simulation of the conditions that we saw in Batam. This is
to allow the students in SAJC to better understand the hardships that they have
to go through, and learn to appreciate the life that we have right now.
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| Sharing our inspirations during debrief |
Overall, this OCIP had been a meaningful experience and one
that we will remember for the rest of our lives. We gained a lot of meaningful
lessons while at the same time strengthening the friendship within the FIFTH. We
will apply what we learnt in this OCIP in our Advocates’ journey so as to
become a better servant leaders and community builders.
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| The end of our project |
By Chua Perh Nian, Stanley Ivan Alexander and Vincent Setiawan
5th Saints Advocate
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