January 26, 2015

Handover ceremony of the futsol project with the Tanah Merah school in north Jakarta.

This Christian school has 319 students and 28 teachers. Some of the children are orphans, many are from a underprivileged community of workers, street vendors, mill-hands, and trash pickers. Many are underemployed and some unemployed. This has caused some parents to not consider sending their children to schools with complete facilities due to the costs. The organization we worked with was founded to help provide these facilities.

Our first meeting with the school in early 2014 was to provide eye examinations and eyeglasses for those children and teachers in need.

 

 

It is the rainy season so lots of flooding

 

 

 

                              The school asked if the church could help with their playground?
                                               Note the large hole in the yellow slide.

As you can see with the placement of the tire and boards this area was part of the children's playground.

 

        Elder Lasson (our missionary couple supervisors from Hong Kong) inspecting the area

 

The school's proposal asked if the church would help build a futsal (soccer) field over the swamp area and replace some of the playground equipment?

The project was eventually approved with LDSC providing the materials and the school providing the labor.

 

Sister Lucherini and Elder and Sister Lasson showing the children they too can 'jump rope!'

 

 

 

Ezra, the school principal on the left, and Eva, secretary. We would work closely with them over the coming months. Wonderful sweet ladies

             Over the coming months, the futsal field started to take shape....no more swamp!!

 

As we worked with them the school asked if the church could share our program about 'family home evening?' Members of the Jakarta 1st ward met with teachers and parents on a Saturday morning in July and shared this program.

 

              Sister Anon, Relief Society president sharing her experiences with the parents.

Of course the teachers and staff love the opportunity for pictures

                           The progress on the futsal field was slow....but coming along

Over several months we would check on the progress, and of course visit with the children

 

It was a special day when the new slides were installed. Now the children could play on them safely.

Freshly painted new equipment

 

January 27, 2015

Project officially completed and the handover ceremony

 

 

 

The children sang and danced. Always the best part of many of these ceremonies

Even the teachers sang.

 

Mr Suep, the local community leader expressing appreciation for the new playground that will be a wonderful blessing for the children.

 

 

                                                 
                                                         Can it get any better than this?

              Seeing the children playing on their new playground was a wonderful blessing to behold.
We hope the pictures will capture what a difference these donations make for so many people.