Bringing Light to Migrant Workers’ Children
Concerned about the condition of the children of migrant workers, Muzeki established the “padepokan” or a learning studio for migrant workers’ children. The studio, is a place that lifts their spirits as they learn and play.
Muzeki
Concerned about the condition of the children of migrant workers, Muzeki established the “padepokan” or a learning studio for migrant workers’ children. The studio, located in southern Malang regency, East Java, is a place that lifts their spirits as they learn and play.
The name Muzeki is not unknown among the residents of Sukosari hamlet in Rejoyoso village, Bantur district, Malang regency. If visitors come looking for Muzeki, the local residents would immediately point to the modest, semi-permanent roadside studio with the asbestos roof.
The 3-by-7-meter structure stands in the yard of a house belonging to Muzeki’s father, Sayedi. Over the past seven years, the modest structure has become an oasis for children of migrant workers who receive little attention from their families.
Rejoyoso village is one of the main sources of migrant workers in Malang regency. Muzeki said more than half of the village residents had worked or were working overseas. They left behind their children, family and relatives to work several years abroad. It is unsurprising that many children in the village were growing up far from their parents. They see each other for two weeks at most when their parents are visiting. Then, they are separated again.
Consequently, many children are lonely, lacking parental care and attention. They have to face their problems on their own, even when they don’t know how to deal with them.
Muzeki said the children should not live apart from their parents who worked overseas. He was concerned about the situation. He could imagine the future of these children who were growing up without their mother, father or both parents.
Driven by this feeling, he and several friends offered to befriend the children. Muzeki helps boost their confidence. They encourage the children to chase their sky-high dreams.
“We guide them and motivate them. They need to have dreams,” said Muzeki on Friday (11/3). He could understand how these children feel because his elder sibling was also working abroad as a migrant worker.
To help the children, Muzeki founded a learning center in 2011. At the learning center, the migrant workers’ children could learn for free at least five afternoons a week. At first, only eight children came, but the numbers grew as time passed.
Muzeki has never counted the total number of children who joined the activities at the learning center since it opened seven years ago. Today, there are 86 children ranging in age from kindergarten to senior high school. The group includes several children whose parents are not migrant workers.
Volunteers come to help Muzeki at the learning. They tutor the children on school lessons and in doing their homework. If they have a personal problem or wish to a join character building session, they can consult the center’s counselors. Today, 28 children are taking part in the counseling sessions.
Muzeki did not stop there. To support the children in pursuing their dreams, he takes them to the universities in Malang. He accompanies the village children who have matriculated during their first month of university studies, continuing to boost their self-confidence.
“We also try to find scholarships for them,” said Muzeki, who graduated from a counseling program at a Malang university.
Since 2013, Muzeki has mentored more than 10 students to obtain a university education. They are mostly from poor families. After graduating university, they frequently return to their hometown and tell the village children about their success story. This is something Muzeki had hoped for.
Going farther
Muzeki intends to develop his village further. He does not strive only on behalf of migrant workers’ children, but also for all other villagers. He set up a reading center called Kampung Cerdas Ceria Galeri Kreatif, which means “creative gallery of the happy and smart kampung”, as part of his small studio.
The reading center has a collection of 1,500 books of different genres, such as children’s books, fiction, general knowledge and motivational books. The library is open to all, from the village children to all other villagers, young and old. The teachers and students of the local Islamic boarding school can also use the library.
Muzeki then expanded his studio further with a creative activity center. Just outside the library, he set up a discussion room that is open 24 hours. He also works with other local communities in Rejoyoso, such as acoustic music enthusiasts, cosplay makers and construction workers. Each night, the members of these communities gather at the studio to discuss all manner of things, including their activities in the village.
Recently, Muzeki “exported” his volunteers to a nearby village, where they established a reading center and taught the “staff’ how to maintain wall bulletins and to make handicraft items. So far, he has produced 22 volunteers, consisting of university students, school students and employees.
Starting point
Why does Muzeki work to develop the villagers? Aside from his concern about the fate of the migrant workers’ children, he himself knows what it is like to come from a village.
One day in 2009, Muzeki and his three childhood friends Bambang Purwanto, Nurul Masrifah and Fitrianti Trengganu decided they wanted to continue their studies at university. But they found it difficult to get any information.
“We were village children who wanted to excel. When we wanted to continue our education, it was hard to obtain information. From that [experience], we learned to look to each other [for support]. We vowed to guide the village children toward a better life,” he said.
On their vow, in 2011 Muzeki and his friends started activities that were designed to help develop the village and its residents. Unfortunately, Muzeki’s three friends moved away so he ended up bearing the lion’s share, from energy to costs. Luckily, Muzeki’s goodwill gained the support of many people.
When he built the studio, he did not need to spend any money on construction, because the construction workers community built it. When he needed books, the local book club rounded up the village children to help. They sold their used books and used the proceeds to buy new books. Friends also donated many titles.
After he had set up several programs and activities, he had one plan left to realize: to start an entrepreneurship program for village youths. Through the program, it is hoped the village’s children will achieve independence and pursue further education on their own.
Muzeki has no intention of stopping in the many initiatives he has established to ensure a brighter future for the children of his village.
Muzeki
Muzeki
Born: May 25, 1991, Malang
Education: SDN Rejoyoso 01 elementary school; SMP Assalam junior high school; SMK Assalam vocational school; Bachelor in counseling at a Malang university
