School Gives Back to "Bajilo"

Hestiana “Hesti” Kiftia, 28, and Natalia Melake, 29, won second place at a national scholastic science competition for their study on street children. However, their sense of accomplishment turned into anger and guilt when some of the street children who were the subjects of their study were killed while fleeing a police raid. But from their guilt was born Hesti and Natalia’s school for street children.

The informal school is called Bingkai Jalanan and is located in a small, 6-by-6 meter rented house in Senen, Central Jakarta. It is at the end of a 1-meter-wide alley that is squeezed in between the fence of Senen Station on one side and a row of houses, stalls, kiosks and other small businesses on the other.

On Saturday (26/10/2019), children from underprivileged families – including some street children – were observing an experiment that Shalima Hakim, 19, and two volunteer teachers were conducting. They placed a bottle in a basin and then added baking soda, soap and food color into the bottle. Finally, they added vinegar.

Two seconds later, bubbles rose from the mouth of the bottle, with some spilling onto the floor. The children clapped with delight. Then, it was their turn to run their own “eruption” experiment as part of a lesson on volcanoes.

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Natalia Melake

Bingkai Jalanan’s teaching and learning activities use experiments like this, so they are never boring. They also help attract street children, who are busy surviving from day to day by busking, sorting plastic waste or helping their parents sell goods. To accommodate this, Bingkai Jalanan only holds its lessons on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. The informal school only offers supplementary classes to its students, most of whom attend formal schools.

Their volunteer teachers have continued to grow in number, and they come from a variety of backgrounds from high school students to university students and to private employees.

However, the children continue to come to Bingkai Jalanan because they can gain additional knowledge without burdening their parents with additional fees. On occasion, they go on recreational field trips, such as to Dunia Fantasi at the Ancol Dreamland amusement park. Bingkai Jalanan covers all teaching and learning costs by recruiting volunteers and through donations. When it was first established seven years ago, Bingkai Jalanan could only accommodate 15 street children. Today, around 30-40 street children attend each class. Their volunteer teachers have continued to grow in number, and they come from a variety of backgrounds from high school students to university students and to private employees.

Best friends

The foundational idea that led to Bingkai Jalanan was born in December 2012, when Hesti and Natalia were studying at different universities. In the beginning, Bingkai Jalanan endured a period of struggle, with Hesti and Natalia cautiously and slowly approaching the buskers around the statue near Senen Station, armed with a cardboard box of packaged milk as a decoy.

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Children from underprivileged families study at the Jalan Frame School, Senen, Central Jakarta, Saturday (10/26/2019). They were also invited to sing and play together.

"We passed out the milk, then we talked. We told them that there will be a coloring contest the next day," said Hesti.

Underprivileged children started coming to Bingkai Jalanan, which held its lessons on mats laid out in an open space at the Youth Sports Center (GOR). After holding the “coloring the street” session several times, Hesti and Natalia started moving on to other learning activities, such as reading and numeracy.

At first, they found it difficult to manage the street children, who lacked discipline. Hesti and Natalia could not teach them what was right and what was wrong.

Back then, cigarette packaging was not required to display photographs of the harm that smoking did to the health.

"They used to smoke while writing. Later, I showed them a picture of a smoker’s lungs that had been damaged [from smoking] and other pictures that were even scarier," said Hesti. Back then, cigarette packaging was not required to display photographs of the harm that smoking did to the health.

After the program was up and running, Hesti and Natalia began to equip the "class" with folding tables they brought from home, so that the children didn\'t need to draw or write while sitting on the floor. After the lessons, they left the tables in the care of the parents of the street children who lived in Senen.

KOMPAS/JOHANES GALUH BIMANTARA

Children from underprivileged families study at the Jalan Frame School, Senen, Central Jakarta, Saturday (10/26/2019). They were also invited to sing and play together.

Unfortunately, many tables went missing or were damaged. This prompted the pair to think about renting a house on the west side of Senen Station. In 2015, they finally realized this and have been renting the same house ever since. Bingkai Jalanan’s teachers pitch in to raise the rent money.

Hesti and Natalia met as students at SMKN 14 vocational high school in Jakarta, and worked together in a national competition for science writing. They lost in their first attempt, but tried again in 2008, when they submitted their paper, titled " Metal Theft Among Little Bajing Loncat in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta".

Bajing loncat, or bajilo, refers to thieves who steal materials from the beds of trucks that are stopped at a traffic light. They are frequently street children.

The two selected the issue of bajilo street children because Natalia had been in contact with them while busking as her mother sold food at the Cempaka Mas junction. Some of her mother\'s customers were bajilo.

Natalia and her family also lived in Kampung Pedongkelan, a slum area near the Ria-Rio Reservoir in East Jakarta, where many street children lived.

"I used to live in an unhealthy environment. I dealt with children who did not go to school and children who had to help their parents earn an income," said Natalia.

Her experience with the street children filled Natalia and Hesti\'s research with field facts. Not surprisingly, they won second place at the national competition for scientific papers, which was held at Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

The bajilo children who had been part of their research were targeted in a crackdown by security forces and some were killed while fleeing the raid.

They were overjoyed at winning, but before long, their joy turned into anger, grief and regret. The bajilo children who had been part of their research were targeted in a crackdown by security forces and some were killed while fleeing the raid.

Incidentally, after their paper won second place, the crackdown against bajilo intensified. Hesti and Natalia felt even guiltier. "We didn\'t talk for a while. Finally, I met Natalia again, and asked for her help in setting up a school," said Hesti.

The Bingkai Jalanan school is a way for Hesti and Natalia to heal their anger and guilt, while remembering the bajilo who contributed their research.

Hestiana Kiftia

Place & Date of Birth: Jakarta, 5 October 1991

Husband: Dedi Purwadi, 28

Education:

- Bachelor in Political Communication, Bung Karno University (2009-2013)

- SMK Negeri 14 Jakarta senior high school

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Natalia Melake

Place & Date of Birth: Riau, 6 December 1989

Education:

- Bachelor in Indonesian Language and Culture, Indraprasta PGRI University (2011-2015)

- SMK Negeri 14 Jakarta