Knowledge, experience, and a best friend from abroad

My name is Ayu. I'm a student of 12th grade and also the eldest of four children in my family. I live in a modest family. My father and mother work as farmer to earn our daily life. Since I was in fifth grade, I represented the children of Wudi village to participate in development program conducted by Wahana Visi Indonesia(WVI)  in Manggarai Operational Office.

After joining for several months, I got an unforgettable letter from my friend in Korea, Miss Hyo through WVI. At first, I didn't know how to reply letter but through WVI's assistance, I could write to Miss Hyo.

We talked about many things about our life. Miss Hyo told me about her life in Korea and I told her about my life in Manggarai. I wanted to meet her, but I knew that we were separated by many miles so that we couldn't meet soon.

Through WVI, I got many new interesting experiences. I was chosen to join in Peer Education training in Kupang when I was in 7th grade. I had an experience to share new knowledge to my friends. Although I had to speak in front of them, I wasn't afraid. I was really proud of myself since I could speak in front of many people though my Bahasa wasn't really good. Because I couldn't speak Bahasa well, I intended to take Bahasa and English as my main courses in Senior High School.

WVI staff also taught me to save money for my future. I began to understand that children could also save money in bank. This saving account has helped me and my parents. Currently, I can purchase stuff and pay my needs with my own money.

*Written by Ayu Assisted by Ursula Marut, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Wahana Visi Indonesia at Manggarai operational office