Indonesia, August 2010, Saumlaki, Orphanage

We heard about an orphan house managed by a German Lady named Mama Gisela.

Gisela has been living in Indonesia since 1963 devoting her life to the sick, old and abandoned. For more than 25 years she has been nursing people suffering from leprosy in Flores and Alor.

In 1987, as retirement was ringing the bell, she already had many children in need to look after. So she built the “Panti Asuhan Damian” community.

Its main aim is the establishment of a family like community providing board and accommodation as well as financial support for different levels of education for the children.

It goes from couple of month old child’s (one little baby and here young mother coming from Timor at the time we visited the place), to kindergarten age, primary and secondary school level, even higher education levels outside Alor up to 17 years old kids.

Since 1998 the children’s home is officially recognized by the Ministry of Social Affairs and allocates a small funding. Panti Asuhan Damian depends entirely on private initiatives and contribution.

Talking with Mama Gisela, she feels here at home, speaks fluently Indonesian and a little bit English but understands it well. I spoke with her in German (my second language).

Few years ago Immigration wouldn’t extend her visa; finally she got her residency permit.

If she had to go back to Germany she would have to ask for social aids to live there, and smiling at me she said, here with my pension I can live and sustain the community.

11 ladies and 4 men compose the staff. The duties are distributed on a weekly rotation base. 2 ladies from outside are taking care of the laundry of the kids up to kindergarten level. Above, the kids wash themselves their cloth.

The community grows is one crops, and the children participate in the garden work early in the morning.

Boys and girls sleep in separate room. In one room, kids of different ages live together. The older ones look after the younger ones, giving a brother or sister relation to each other.

Religion is mixed, Christian and Muslim. The Muslin kids join a family outside the community for the preys.

A shuttle bus brings and pick up the children at school. As we were in company of Gisela, kids from the primary school came back. They came to greet us kiss our hand.

They have a machine to make concrete bricks used to extend the facilities. The boys are part of the job to make them.

In town the children from the community are respected and considered.

For info, Phone-Fax: 0062 (0)386 2222679