Unlimited spirit in the midst of difficulty

Mariam Kongo, 43, is usually called Am. She is the only cadre who assists the Child Learning Group in her village. She lives in Bobisingo village, a village in North Halmahera of which villagers are mostly Moslem.

Everyday she takes care of her garden to support her family. She also works as laundress and sometimes she cares for her neighbor's garden to earn a little extra money. Although she's very busy, her enthusiasm keeps growing every day.

She never gives-up teaching children in her village. Every Thursday afternoon at 3pm, Am comes to the building where the Child Learning Group is held. She teaches the children to play tambourine and sing Moslem songs. Am teaches them because she was trained by Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI). She doesn't only teach the children to play music but also read, write, and count numbers.

"Don't bequeath poverty and stupidity for our children but give them knowledge," said Am.

Besides assisting and teaching students, Am also monitors children's learning activities in school. If there is no teacher in class, she comes and teaches them. Her effort is worth the result. The Head of School finally asked her to be freelance teacher in the school.

Mrs. Am does not have much formal education. She attended school until the sixth grade of primary school, but she did not continue her education because she had to take care of her sick mother. But a lack of educational background didn't keep her from assisting and teaching the children. Moreover, she's participated in many training session after joining WVI, particularly in teaching children.

"Don't bequeath poverty and stupidity for our children but give them knowledge," said Am.

*Written by Eva Yustina, Community Development Coordinator, Wahana Visi Indonesia at North Halmahera operational office