Earlier this month, Susila Dharma USA board member Myriam Ramsey visited three of the projects we support in Kalimantan. Here are some of her impressions from the visit.
January 9 – 14, 2020
We have all heard the expression “A Picture is worth 1,000 words.” I’d like to expand on that phrase to “A live visit is worth a billion pictures.” That phrase explains my experience visiting three of the projects Susila Dharma USA supports in Kalimantan. These projects are:
- Borneo Football: BFIA uses football to create social change
- BCU School: the first bilingual, multicultural school in the province of Central Kalimantan
- Permakultur Kalimantan Foundation: works with farmers to rebuild the depleted topsoil through a permaculture approach
Borneo Football
Before 
After
I had seen many photos of this project but my understanding of its importance wasn’t born until I saw with my own eyes the impact this project was having on individual lives. Many of the children come from extreme poverty with no path out of the life they see around them. No jobs, very little education, no way to move from this world to a more positive future. For these children Borneo Football is like throwing a life preserver to a drowning person in a huge sea with no land in site. They grab onto the life preserver and thus begin a path out of poverty. They are provided nutrition, teamwork with children of other religions, some English education and as they get older can join in computer classes. When I see the children, I see strong beautiful healthy young people grabbing onto this unexpected gift for their lives.
BCU School
For teachers and students, this school is a dream come true. It provides a hands on integrated curriculum where life skills are combined with education. Parents who were unhappy with the local schools started the school. The parents were not trained educators but had an understanding of children and the atmosphere needed to create a positive learning environment. The school has been blessed with teachers from the Australian volunteer program who are experienced and up to date on the best practices in building a strong school. They have helped with teacher training and together with the staff develop the curriculum to guide this school on a path to be one of the best in Central Kalimantan. Through hands on experiences like the student garden, children become aware of the importance of topsoil, how to create topsoil and the impact on the environment of sustainable land use. Classes are taught in English making BCU the first bilingual, multicultural school in Central Kalimantan.
Permakultur Kalimantan Foundation
I think this quote from Bapak sums up my experience in Kalimantan:
“Perhaps this is the difference between the Subud and non-Subud involvement in Kalimantan, because although many people are talking about Kalimantan and want to go there and do things, for a lot of them, their motive is just profit. But, for us, because we are guided by the latihan, what we do in Kalimantan will be not only for ourselves, but also for the whole of society. It will be good for those who have nothing. It will be good for those who are destitute. It will be to help those who are really short of everything, to give them new hope, to give them new life. It will be for those who are without work, to give them a chance to work.“
(Bapak’s Farewell Talk
Cilandak, March 6, 1981)
This is what I saw happening in Kalimantan. Subud members, guided by the latihan, filled with courage, praising God, helping those short of everything, giving hope for a new life.
Thanks to Daniela and Muhammad Bachrun Bustillo from Borneo Football, Setiawati Soesetyi and Wuryantiand from the BCU School and Frederkia and Jayadi Paembona from Permakultur Kalimantan for the time and the work you are doing to improve the lives of others. And thanks to all of you, members of Subud USA, for your generous donations to Susila Dharma that make these projects possible.