p

We are grateful for the fantastic support that has helped make this Bulletin possible.

We would like to thank the following people:

• Gyrithe Schack Bothmann - Grafisch Designer / www.chilidesign.co.uk

• Lydia Wong - Drukker / Pasifik Percetakan

• Ita Rahman - Fotograaf • Amber van Poppel - Schrijfster / amberopavontuur.weebly.com

• Paolina van Bragt - Adviseur

• Captain Martin Djakman - Transport

With many thanks to Terrence Lee, General Manager of hotel Penninsula, for the tremendous Christmas surprise!

Donating the age of Pa van der Steur in

money/change

Johannes van der Steur was a man of tradition. Every year, he would ask for his

age in money for his birthday. So on his 67th birthday, he asked for 67 quarters,

67 dimes, 67 nickels, or anything a gift-giver could spare.

Since we are celebrating a nice, round, symbolic 150th birthday this year, I would

love to reboot this tradition! I’d therefore like to ask all of you to donate Pa’s age in

money. Can you spare 150 cents, 150 dimes, 150 Euros or 150 50-cent pieces?

The children would really love to visit Pa’s tomb in Mangelan for this special

birthday. Can you help us realise their dream?

Nel de Borst

INDEX

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Chairman: Tom Jutte Saturnus 10 2353 WK Leiderdorp

Tel. 071-589 98 22

jupro@hetnet.nl Secretary: Marijke Kasten-v.’t Riet Treasurer: Eveline Gerritsen-

Kastein Postbus 82094 2508 EB Den Haag

evelinekastein@gmail.com Members: Ed van Straten

Marijke Ross

Nel de Borst Nelkuta@gmail.com

Message from the chairman ............................................. 2 Allow us to introduce ourselves ......................................... 3 Changes in the orphanage ............................................... 4 “And how are your studies?” ............................................. 6 The beginning ................................................................. 8 Childrens birthdays ......................................................... 11 Open House at Pa van der Steur ..................................... 12 Fun with a few of the guests ............................................ 13 My experiences by Ita ..................................................... 14 The Sponsors ................................................................ 16 The experiences of Paolina ............................................. 17 Tom en Ria Jutte and the kids ......................................... 19 A lunch with Telkomsel ................................................... 20 A new Oven, A burnt face ............................................... 21 Adoption application ....................................................... 23 Pa van der Steur ............................................................ 24

The Society of Friends of the Orphanage of Pa van der Steur:

The society focuses on continuing the work Johannes van der Steur began,

and its objective is to support orphaned and poor children in the homes of

Yayasan Pa van der Steur in Jakarta and Bekasi. The contribution is €19 per

year. A symbolic adoption costs €16 per month, €96 per six months or €192

per year. 10% of this will be a contribution to the society.

. Other information Bank account: NL22INGB0003184522 attn. Ver. Vrienden yayasan Pa van der Steur

Chairman: Tom Jutte, Saturnus 10, 2353 WK Leiderdorp; email: jupro@hetnet.nl

Secretary: Marijke Kasten-v.’t Riet, email: secretaris@pavandersteur.org

Adoption: Stans Stolte, te bereiken via email: adoptie@pavandersteur.org

From the Chairman

I won’t beat about the bush: there are some important topics I want to discuss with you. By Tom Jutte The situation in Bekasi My wife and I still regularly travel to

Indonesia (especially in “our” Dutch

winter), and it goes without saying that we

always include an extensive visit to the

orphanage in Pondok Gede, Bekasi. We

did not go last year, however, so when we

put in another appearance from 11 - 13

February, we were able to compare the

situation with that of February 2013, when

it was still run by the old management.

Well, WHAT A WORLD OF

DIFFERENCE!!! In her contribution to this Bulletin, Nel de

Borst explains the changes that she

introduced over the past two years, from

the time she started running the place

together with Brampi. And these

improvements are most apparent in the

children themselves. They are cheerful,

bond with the guests, have fun with each

other and have a positive attitude. Of

course, the house rules must be strictly

observed, and the way in which the kids

deal with it is great. The staff is also

much more aware of what is going on

and everyone enjoys their work. Nel,

Brampi and all other staff: you’re doing

such great work, and I am so proud that

our society supports such a wonderful

children’s home! In this Bulletin you will mainly find

contributions from the children

themselves and several dedicated

volunteers. A myriad of interesting and

amusing stories!!

2

Allow us to introduce ourselves

Currently, the orphanage is home to 65 children. Because you are likely to only know your adoptive child,

we thought it would be a good idea to introduce you to the rest.

These three children get the ball rolling!

The children were allowed to choose their own topic and have thought long and hard about this. Many

sheets of paper were thrown away in the quest for the perfect piece for the Bulletin! Happy reading!

HELENA PUTRI KEINASYA

BENANSIO F.I.

SAMENTO (NENSO)

FRISKA LUISEA Hello! My name is Friska Luisea. I

am 11 years old. My hobbies are

swimming and drawing. When I

grow up I want to become a

designer and photographer. I am

happy because I have many

friends. My favourite foods are fried

chicken and bread, and my

favourite drinks are water and

orange juice. My birthday is on 19th

April. I have a brother and a sister.

I am now in the sixth grade. My idol

is Taylor Swift and my favourite

songs are White Space, Red and

Love Story. My favourite colours

are purple, white and black.

Thank you!

Hi! My name is Benansio and I

am 9 years old. I go to the

primary school of Pa van der

Steur. I want to become an

international football player when

I grow up. My hobbies are

playing football and dancing. My

favourite foods are hamburgers

and hotdogs. My birthday is on

14th April. I have an older sister

called Brenda and a younger

cousin called Kansa. Brenda and

I live in the Pa van der Steur

orphanage where there is a lady

called Tante Nel who takes care

of us. Tante Nel makes sure that

there is money for all Pa van der

Steur’s orphans. In the boys’

house, Pa Hendrik and Tante

Anna are our caretakers.

Hi! My name is Helena. I am 9

years old. I am in the third grade of

the Christian primary school Pa

van der Steur and I live in the Pa

van der Steur orphanage. I want to

become a teacher when I grow up.

My hobby is playing with dolls. My

favourite food is nasi goreng (fried

rice). My birthday is on 7th

October 2005. I have a sister

called Nelsa. My favourite colours

are red, black, white, green, blue,

purple and pink. I hope that I will

become the best teacher ever and

I won’t become haughty or

arrogant. Here in the orphanage

there are two ladies from abroad

called Ita and Amber. In the girls’

house we have two caretakers

called Tante Wiwid and Tante

Feber. Both of them are great

caretakers.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Changes in the Orphanage

By Nel de Borst The beginning of my stay at the orphanage was

not so easy. When I arrived two years ago,

everyone was terrified. The children had been

raised in a militaristic manner and thought that

being beaten was part of their upbringing.

They didn’t dare tell you how they felt about

anything and were afraid to look you in the eye

when you talked to them. In the Netherlands I

was taught that it is rude not to look someone in

the eye when you are talking to them. So it was

quite difficult to teach them that they should look

at me.

They were allowed to contradict me if they

thought I was being unreasonable and thought

that they were right (as long as they put on their

lovely Indonesian charm), but it took a lot of hard

work to get the children this far. Now, two years

and many foreign guests later, they will ask you

how much you earn, whether you have a

boyfriend and how pretty your sister is without

batting an eyelid. The children talk with each

other, dare to vent (not just to each other but also

to me), have fun, and the boys and girls sit

together, even at mealtimes.

And it is not just the children who have changed.

During the first few months of my stay I was

petrified. There were cables dangling from the

ceiling and water ran down along them. Every

night I was sure the orphanage would catch fire.

My first action was to buy fire extinguishers and

extinguishing blocks. My second project involved

tidying away the cables and having the leaks

repaired so the water could not get near them

anymore.

I also tried to create a living room for the children

on the terrace of the girls’ house. The children

did not have anywhere cosy to sit, and the boys

stayed in the boys’ house while the girls stayed in

the girls’ house. With a few old couches, tables

and chairs from the time my father was here, I

created some Dutch cosiness in the ‘living room’.

The living room not only serves as a place to sit

for guests, but it is also where the children study

and take part in performances, fashion shows,

talent shows and all sorts of other expressions of

creativity.

I also immediately figured that every time a guest

arrived, he or she could sit in the living room and

all the children could sit around him or her to ask

them questions by throwing a ball around. This

way they not only get to know the guest, but also

learn about different cultures.

Meanwhile, they are no longer afraid to look the

guests in the eye, and when we have handsome

or pretty volunteers there are plenty of winks!

4

The terrace

At the start, the kids believed in ghosts, and they saw

them everywhere. They could tell me exactly what a

ghost looked like. Slowly but surely I managed to

convince them that angels exist too. Angels without

wings, who walk this earth and support our work.

But the biggest change has been at the schools. We

completely changed the organisational structure. At

the moment, the Christian Pa van der Steur Schools

(Kindergarten, primary and secondary school) have

845 pupils. There are two language practice rooms

for the primary and secondary school respectively

and also a computer lab.

The Open House that we held in March was aimed at

attracting more pupils, not just for our schools but

also for the language courses in Mandarin, Japanese

and English that we offer. We are planning to build an

additional three large classrooms in future.

We are currently making every effort to make people

more aware of Pa van der Steur’s legacy. And with

your help, this will certainly succeed.

Questions for Paolina. The children of SMP Grade 3 hard at work so they can pass

their exams! (Junior High School, Grade 9

5

“And how are your

studies?”

Een paar van de kinderen zitten ondertussen al op de universiteit of een hogeschool. Wij

vroegen hen hoe het met hun studie ging en dit is hun antwoord.

WENNY HARTINI SANTI

My name is Wenny Hartini Santi

and I study at Budi Luhu

University. My major is

International Relations. Every

day at 6 am, I take public

transport to the university,

where I usually stay until about

4 pm.

One day I accidentally walked

into the wrong classroom, and I

only realised when I had already

sat down. I think it happened

because I wasn’t paying

attention.

My favourite university subject is

Foreign Policy.

This subject deals with how

countries may need other

countries and how ambassadors

should introduce countries to

each other. FARENTIZA

My name is Farentiza.

I am currently attending the

Pushkom International School.

Pushkom is a special school for

Tourism and Hospitality. I have

learned so many things already!

Lessons I really love are Food

and Drink Service and Food and

Drink Products. These subjects

teach me how to prepare and

serve food and drink. I thought it

would be really easy, but when I

started practising at the Holiday

Inn Hotel in Jakarta I made

many mistakes. One of the

supervisors at the time showed

me what I had to do and how to

do it.

6

But when I wasn’t quite sure

what the supervisor meant I felt

quite awful. On the other hand, I

did learn things that I can do

much better now. I was also

allowed to practice with Food

and Drink Products. They

allowed me to eat an awful lot

over there!

Many of the chefs were a little

on the plump side; probably

because they eat a lot of the

food.

I am glad that I have the

opportunity to go to the

Pushkom International School.

My dream is to become a hotel

owner. I’ll try to make this dream

come true in the future, because

it will also give the people

around me hope!

With Oom Brampi and Tante Nel, my surrogate parents.

And Pa proudly watched from above ... “.

LEDY ARTI GRADUATES

I cannot imagine how different

my life would have been if my

mother hadn’t taken me to the

Pa van der Steur orphanage

when I was 9 years old. Perhaps

I would have been a girl with just

a Junior High School diploma.

10th March was a very special

day for me. It was the day I

graduated from the Bina Sarana

Informatika University. My major

was Computer Science

Management.

Life in the orphanage was not

as bad as I had imagined after

seeing things on television. I

met the friends I have now, and

was allowed to live with them;

friends from different parts of the

country, all with different

characters.

With these friends it doesn’t matter if you come from a broken home, that you’re an orphan or that your

Parents are poor, because here

you come together as one big

family. I am currently working at the Pa

van der Steur Foundation as

administrative assistant. I’ve

been lucky to have had the

opportunity to work with Tante

Nel.

She is extremely disciplined

and works very hard. The

employees at the Society have

always helped me and have

taught me how to do this work.

PA van der Steur is a place of

kinship and humour. Thank you

for everything. I have been

incredibly lucky!

7

The Beginning

By Amber van Poppel

Allow me introduce myself. I’m Amber, and I am 21 years old and come from Eindhoven. Currently

I am studying in Nijmegen, doing teacher training for English (teaching in secondary schools). I’m in my third

year and this means doing a compulsory internship. Many of my classmates went to England or Ireland, but I

wanted to go elsewhere. My grandparents are Indonesian, so Indonesia was the right choice for me. After a few

years of hard work and saving up I was finally able to realise my dream. I know Tante Nel through a friend of my

father’s and she welcomed me at orphanage Pa van der Steur with open arms. This is the start of my internship

here.

I arrived in Pondok Melati at the end of January. I

was here for a brief week before my visa ended.

Because I wanted to stay a little longer, I went to

Singapore to arrange a visa for 60 days. I now

have this visa, and my goal is to stay at the

orphanage for three months in total, speak

English with the children, and to teach at the

schools that are affiliated with the orphanage.

I get up every day at half past five to have

breakfast at 6 am. This was really difficult for me

on the first day, and at about 2 pm I just couldn’t

do it anymore. Luckily I found out that all children

over here go to school until around then and then

have an afternoon nap! I really love afternoon

naps, so I was delighted to discover this.

There is a girl named Eva, who is 12 years old,

who has taken charge of me. On the first day,

she said we would become best friends, and she

really helped me through the first days.

Since I myself am not religious and this is a

Christian orphanage, there are prayers before

and after every meal. But because I do not speak

Indonesian, I initially had trouble figuring out

when they started praying after singing, so Eva

would elbow me and (not so) subtly say “Pray!”

Me and the children hanging out on my first night here It is also a segregated orphanage: the boys and

girls sleep in different buildings and they see

each other during mealtimes and at school. One

evening I was wearing a low-cut shirt that I hadn’t

buttoned up all the way, and Eva helped me

again by subtly(!) saying “Amber, your shirt

(making a movement as if she was pulling up her

own shirt), it’s too sexy for the boys, they will

look.” Hahaha, thanks, Eva!

8

This is Firan. Firan loves to cuddle

and I like cuddling, so he would end

up

with his head in my lap.

Pa van der Steur

Got Talent, Glen

Moses dressed as a

princess

Playing table shuffleboard. When the boys found

out how my camera worked. From left to right

Timothy, Nenso, Mario and I.

Her little sister Vivi, 8 years old, is also sweet.

She speaks almost no English at all, but the first

morning I woke up at half past five, and she was

already standing next to my bed saying “Come,

come!” So I got dressed and she started pointing

at things and telling me what the words were in

Bahasa (Indonesian). The dining room, for

example, pointing to the boys’ building and to the

girls’ building and saying two different words. She

is really cute and sweet and a real cuddly kid

(although she tends to enforce the cuddles a little

by jumping on you so you do have to catch her).

After a month, I feel more than at home among

the children. In the lessons, the children find it

very interesting that there is a ‘bulé’ (foreigner) in

front of the class. Almost all children in the

orphanage try to speak English with me. And if

they do not speak English, we always have our

hands and feet.

Vivi and I together

There is a table shuffleboard made by the

handyman here. When the kids want to play with

it, they need someone to play with, so they will

point at the shuffleboard and say “play”, which is

something I understand, of course. At one point I

lent my mobile phone to one of the children while

we were playing shuffleboard and they

discovered how the camera worked.

One of the caretakers went to visit her father last

week, and Tante Nel was in a bit of a crisis trying

to figure out who was going to take over from

her, so I offered to help. Unfortunately this meant

that I had to get up at half past four to wake the

children. Of course, I kicked them out of bed with

love every morning and then went to work.

Having lunch with the little ones at half past

eleven every day was such a cute sight to see.

Although obviously none of them speak English

at all.

9

The children love to dress up and act and sing

and dance. We organised a “Pa van der Steur

Got Talent” show, where all of them could win

prizes, and they came up with the most fantastic

things. There were three boys who sang and

played music, a group of kids who performed

Snow White, and a boy who did stand-up

comedy. It was great! On one of the pictures you

see Glen Moses dressed as a princess.

Tante Paolina also celebrated her birthday here.

You can read about her experiences further on in

the Bulletin. The children staged a play for her to

show her how wonderful she was when she was

here and how she cared for the children. They

also sang to her. Dear people, when these kids

sing a song for you, you will get tears in your

eyes. Doesn’t matter how tough you are if you

are a man, or how stern you are if you are a

woman, you’re guaranteed to get emotional.

When the children shouted “WE LOVE YOU!”

and gave her a hug, we couldn’t help being in

floods of tears.

All the kids are very affectionate and loving. No

matter what you look like or what you are

wearing, they will like you in advance and will

welcome you with open arms and hearts. I think

it’s really awesome to know that even though

some of the children experienced a lot of trauma

when they were younger, they are still so positive

and so loving. If you ever have the chance to visit

the children here, I would definitely recommend

it!

.

I am going to be here for another two months and

then I’m going to travel through Indonesia. But I hope

to still experience many more fun, sweet, adorable,

funny, crazy, unique, exciting, or perhaps even sad

or boring stuff before then. Because this has already

become an experience I’ll never forget!

(Pssssttt! My most exciting experience at the

orphanage so far is mentioned later on in the

Bulletin!)

A selfie with the children. From

left to right: Ledi, Cika, Falen,

Feby and myself. The kids really

love taking photos, especially

selfies (photos of yourself).

During Tante Paolina’s birthday party. Ita

(another volunteer here) had made hamburgers

for all children; they were waiting for them

impatientl

Mario and I. We were

goofing around while

the rest of the

children were

practising for Tante

Paolina’s play

10

Childrens Birthdays

Everyone has a birthday. And that includes the lovely children at the Pa van der Steur orphanage. Want

to send a card to your adopted child on his or her birthday? Or you just love wishing all kids a happy

birthday? Below you can find all birthdays! The kids would love it and be thrilled with a card! (The

underlined names are the children’s nicknames. The indicated children do not have adoptive parents

yet).

January

01-01-1998 Petrus Saiya

05-01-1996 Tuderi Nenobais (Yoksan)

09-01-1997 Farentiza Andreati Ari Parmesti (Faren)

24-01-2004 Rio Okarino Garibaldy (Oka)

25-01-2004 Alfian Perdamaian Petrus

27-01-1998 Putri Amelia

February

06-02-1996 Falen Frensyer Sarajar

08-02-1999 Leonardo Lorenzius Tarigan (Leo)

17-2-1995 Yesika

Febby Yohana Naulita Hutapea

20-02-1999

March

02-03-2004 Marchel Ivandra Gunawan

04-03-2006 Vanilla Valencia CC

28-03-2002 Lydia Anastasya Ginting

31-03-2004 Evangeline Martha Pratiwi (Eva)

April

09-04-2004 Timotius Karel Usmany (Timo)

14-04-2001 Benansio F.I. Samento (Nenso)

14-04-2001 Nelsa Nathalia Kinanti

19-04-2003 Friska Luisea

19-04-2001 Ginta Albertina Ginting

27-04-2014 Raphael Petrus Prasojo

May

11-05-1972 Mery Wohon

20-05-1999 Andi Setiawan

23-05-1990 Lady Arti

25-05-1999 Yohana Amelia Saiya

June

07-06-2001 Juanito Carlos Saraya (Juan)

11-07-2007 Glenn Moses Junior Hallatu

12-06-2008 Brian

14-06-2005 Ye Eskiel Siringo-Ringo

16-06-1996 Susi Greselawati

16-06-1996 Winda Nelyani Gea

18-06-2004 Angelina Rosari Soegondo (Ocha)

18-06-2002 Brenda Caroline Antoneth

22-06-2000 Alfius David Aditya

July

08-07-2000 Jessica Juletha (Cika)

09-07-2006 Timoty Alexander R.B.

10-07-1995 Fransiska Pelupessy (Siska)

15-07-2005 Archangela Cherryl

August-2004 Alfian Perdamaian Petrus 06-08-2003 Adellya Lourence (Adel)

11-08-1999 Bintang Hardi Prakoso

14-08-2003 Jocelyn Adonia C.P.

17-08-1998 Carina Georgina (Carin)

September

04-09-2007 Moses Gregory Tuff

25-09-1994 Seprianto (Sepri)

12-09-1994 Wenny Hartini Santi

17-09-1998 Daniel Usmany

09-04-2004 Timotius Karel Usmany (Timo)

25-09-1997 Jerie

28-09-2007 Firan Darmawan

October 07-10-2005 Helena Putri Keinasya

09-10-2000 Angelina Sabarina (Angel)

13-10-2000 Hendri Kristian Susetyo

14-10-1996 Markus Frederiks

19-10-2000 Hanaa Oktavia Siringo Ringo (Naya)

30-10-2000 Devanca Oktavia (Vanka)

November-2005 Ye Eskiel Siringo-Ringo 09-11-2005 Naufal Cristian Petrus

12-11-1998 Lefritha Sonia Anabella (Pritha)

14-11-1998 Reformasita Elena

16-11-2004 Christian Imanuel Hallatu

24-11-1999 Yonatan

December-2 09-12-2000 Rio Orinoco Caecarean (Orin)

15-12-1997 Natasha Sarawati

15-12-2007 Mario Liem

18-12-2001 Oskar Reynaldo Djonga (Naldo)

19-12-2006 Violina Natalia (Vivi)

24-12-1993 Siprianus Bahan (Sipri)

11

Open House at

Pa van der Steur

By Nel de Borst and Amber van Poppel

Moses takes part in the Colouring Competition

On 21st and 28th February and on 7th March, it was Open House at de Pa van der Steur schools. These

days were organised to give people the opportunity to get to know our schools and to give those who

already know our schools the opportunity to have a look at new courses such as Mandarin, Japanese and

English. The three Saturdays were

dedicated to putting the children

of PvdS and the schools in the

spotlight. Children from other

schools were invited to participate

in various competitions and as a

parent you could enjoy yourself at

the market which sold

entertaining, pretty and funny

things.

21st February saw the start of the

Futsal competition. Futsal is

football played on a small field.

Here they play on a concrete

floor. Parents and friends

standing along the sidelines

cheered everyone on, and every

time someone scored there was a

deafening noise from the

audience, no matter which team

had actually scored the goal. For

the littlest children there was a

colouring competition; they were

allowed to sit and enjoy some

colouring in the school’s large

auditorium.

The Futsal competition continued and finished on 28th February. There was also a storytelling competition, during which the children of all the nearby schools and a number of pupils of PvdS told

Sale of forms for the new school

year a story, fairytale, legend or myth

to the audience in English. Kids

dressed up in costumes and

made good use of the many

attributes on stage. The

participants were between 9 and

12 years old.

The last day, the 7th of March,

was also the busiest day. That

day, the market was in the school

yard, since the Futsal competition

was over. In the morning there

was a fashion competition for the

littlest ones and a Photogenic

Competition, with all kids dolled

up to the nines and practising

different poses for the

professional photographer.

The most important event that day

was the awarding of prizes to all

the winners of all the competitions

of the previous Open House days.

The children of the Pa van der

Steur orphanage helped in the

stall during those days. They had

made jewellery, tea light holders

and postcards, had helped Ita

bake banana bread and hot dogs,

and tried to sell as many of those

as possible with great

enthusiasm.

Pupils are incredibly important to

us. You need to look after your

children and raise them well,

because they are the future! We

therefore think that these days

reflected very well on both our

children and our schools!

The market stalls. All tables

covered with yellow tablecloths.

12

Fun with

(A few of)

the Guests

Senya en Ron Gomez with the girls. Nels two Robin Hoods Colonel Janine Knackstedt and her daughter arrived with three cars full of toys and learning supplies

Ita (left) and Amber (right) take public transport after Markus and Jerie have been received by the Church

Real estate company Century 21 plays games with the children

Stans Stolte showed a picture of a table shuffleboard to the handyman, who copied it in no time, to the delight of the children. Since Stans took the photo, she is not in the picture

Adayanti de Borst together with

Vivi during the Christmas party.

13

My

Experiences

By Ita Rahman

With Moses, who soon started calling me ‘Mama Ita’

The sale of hot dogs was difficult on the first Open House day. But the children didn’t mind because they could eat them that night!

The girls

Pa vd Steur Band.Talented children at the orphanage.

De boys play futsal everyday

Baking cookies

14

Teaching English songs to the kindergarten class Hendri kneads the dough for

the bread roll

Vivi makes the cookie dough

Baking cookies

Photoshoot: Brothers Juan en Falen We had such fun roasting corn. Treats from Ajeng.

Tante Nel – a unique woman with a golden heart. Words alone are not enough to describe her

Firan. My thunder and lightning in a good way

Pa’s bell used to call the children. Brought from Magelang

15

The

Sponsors

Sandy, Jeanette, Hermine and Irma Pane. Irma, President Director of Air Fast

Indonesia, offered all children with a good set of brains a pilot training or

mechanical engineering scholarship

Bank Rakyat Indonesia presents a cheque for 20 million

Rupiah to Brampi, for the Open House

A gift from Bank Mandiri

De dochter van Andrew Stone die boeken inpakt die naar de kinderen van het weeshuis gaan

Skates, a donation from Grooves FlySwagger

Rider 1

A huge

donation

from the

diplomats of

the Canadian

Embassy in

Jakarta

16

Paolina’s Experiences

By Paolina van Bragt It had been years since I was last at the orphanage. In the meantime, I had heard so

much about all the changes that had been introduced that I wanted to come back and

have a look. Last month, the time had finally come. I landed at

Cengkareng Airport where the scent of the

tropics was instantly recognisable. I felt at home

straightaway when I saw Nel’s familiar face.

The children were waiting for me at the gate of

the girls’ house. They spontaneously sang “We

wish you a Happy Welcome...” I wasn’t sure if it

was fatigue, but I got tears in my eyes.

Later that afternoon I got acquainted with all the

children. It was lovely to sit with them on the

terrace. They wanted to know everything about

me.

When the bigger kids went to their English

lessons in the evening, I played with the little

ones. We sat on a mat in a circle and acted out

something that the other group had to guess. The

kids are really good at this game. I couldn’t help

but grin when I realised that every single child

was able to act something out in no time. Their

knack for dramatising things was fantastic. And

some are really good at listening. We had a lot of

fun.

Because of my background in child psychology,

Nel had asked me to help the caregivers here

with ways to deal with traumatized children. I was

glad that I was able to help out with this. I

realised it was hard for the caregivers to do this

when they had not been trained.

Time in the orphanage flew past. I

was sad to say goodbye, but I was

visiting my parents, which was the

ultimate goal of my visit to Jakarta.

Fortunately, it was still not really

goodbye. Nel had invited me to

come over for my birthday a week

later, so I could celebrate with the

kids in the orphanage.

17

I was also allowed to bring my parents and my

brother and his family.

It was really lovely to be with my family to

celebrate my birthday on the terrace. To my

amazement, an old friend whom I had not seen

for many years suddenly popped up. I was so

flabbergasted I could barely speak. In addition, I

didn’t think it was very nice to Nel, because she

had only invited my family. Luckily Nel assured

me that it didn’t matter.

“One more or less is no problem,” she said.

Paralysed with horror, I saw all my old friends

slowly arrive one by one; a group of friends with

whom I was incredibly close at school and whom

I hadn’t seen for years.

When everyone had taken up a seat around me,

I finally realised that it was a Surprise Party, and

that it was definitely not a coincidence.

Suddenly all the lights went off on the terrace.

The door of the girls’ house opened. A long line of

children, to which there seemed to be no end,

came out, each child carrying a cupcake and a

burning sparkler. It reminded me of Christmas,

until the children spontaneously started singing

“Selamat ulang tahun Tante Paolina”. Later, the

children came to me and asked me if they were

allowed to eat the cupcakes. It was adorable.

The play “An Angel without Wings” they staged

afterwards; the delicious burgers made by Ita, our

volunteer from Ireland; the full rice table and

finally the farewell song of the children (composed

by Amber, another volunteer from Netherlands) ...

It was incredibly touching. It was a birthday I will

never forget.

I hope to come back very soon, but with my whole family.

18

Tom and Ria Jutte

and the Kids

With the teachers of the Primary

School

Re-introduction to the office staff

A cheerful group on the way to the

auditorium Speech by the President of the Society of Friends,

to the staff. Pa listened from above.

19

A lunch with Telkomsel and Bank Rakyat

Indonesia By Nel de Borst “Nel, we would like to have a tour of the premises of the Yayasan Pa van der Steur.”

During the Christmas celebrations, the two

Tekomsel bosses had looked around them with

interest.

“Anytime” I replied with a broad grin. Telkomsel

and Bank Rakyat Indonesia had just pledged to

donate 25 million and 20 million rupiah

respectively at the Open House to promote the

Pa van der Steur schools. And so, on 20th

March, Tekomsel and Bank Rakyat Indonesia

came for a special lunch and a tour.

“Children ... This is your chance to network with

the bosses of these companies,” I told the kids.

The children took the microphone without

hesitation. “How can we become as successful

as you?” was the first question from Bintang.

The next question was from Ocha, who asked:

“Can we do an internship at your company

when we are older?”

“What are the possibilities for getting a loan

when you want to open a business in future?”

was the next question. As I stood there

listening to the children, I felt so incredibly

proud. It is pretty difficult to get behind a

microphone and ask a question. The fact that

they dare to do this is such a great victory.

While enjoying a delicious meal, I asked

Telkomsel to help us establish a direct live

connection between the Yayasan in Pondok

Gede and the upcoming Tong Tong Fair in The

Hague.

“Of course we want to help!” was the

spontaneous response. “I will talk about this to

my team at my office straightaway.”

“Alistair, we know you come from Ireland, and

in Indonesia it is customary that we give people

Oleh oleh when they go home. Instead, I have

baked Irish bread for you,” said Ita, our

volunteer from Ireland.

Surprised, Alistair smelled the bread, which

was still warm as it came straight from the

oven. “I will really enjoy this tonight,” he said,

eyes shining.

Thank you, Telkomsel and Bank Rakyat

Indonesia for your support in the promotion of

the schools of Pa van der Steur. We look

forward to an excellent collaboration!

20

A New Oven.

A Burnt Face.

By Amber van Poppel

A while ago I went oven hunting with

Ita (another volunteer) and Tante

Martha (the secretary at the office)

and driver Pa Putu. Yup. The kitchen

needed another oven and Tante Nel could not

come with us. I found that quite difficult: buying

an oven for an orphanage when the big boss isn’t

there! So, being a real European, I thought “Oh,

we’ll just go to a shop where they sell ovens,”

which turned out to be true! But it was not quite

the kind that we are used to. It was a shop,

indeed, but a small shop at the side of the road.

And it sold ovens. Which means the shop

appeared even smaller.

We then talked with Martha about the type we

needed, and she called Tante Nel in Indonesian,

then Tante Nel talked to us about what makes a

good oven and how much the man said it should

cost in Dutch, then we talked to Martha in

English, who then talked to Tante Nel by phone

in Indonesian, and who then gave the telephone

to the man selling ovens. I thought the to-ing and

fro-ing was quite funny. And Tante Nel bargained

like a trooper over the phone, because the

salesman eventually reduced the price by

400,000 rupiah!

Alright, here it comes. The bit of the story you

have all been waiting for because I thought of

such a catchy title. In the afternoon, Ita and I

wanted to bake cupcakes for the children.

Because I had been teaching at the primary

school all morning. So I mashed bananas, peeled

and de-pitted rambutans (a type of lychee) and

got the cupcake cases ready with the kids while

Ita made the batter. Then she asked me if I could

switch on the oven.

The nice, new oven that we bought with the

money Tante Nel gave us from that teeny tiny

little shop alongside the road. Eagerly, I

checked how the oven worked and went to light

it. The oven was connected to a gas cylinder

with two pipes that had a valve, and I knew that

I had to light the gas in the oven with the lighter.

So, I opened the valves on the gas cylinder.

Opened both pipes. Ignited the upper gas flow.

Asked where I should ignite the lower gas flow,

but it took a while before I found it. Opened the

cover, looked carefully to find where I had to

ignite it, lighter ready, *click*, VOOOOM! Huge

flame right into my face! Aaaaaaaarghhh!!!

Wipe wipe wipe, water water water, run run run,

tap whew!

I have never been so shaken in my life. I felt the

flame on my face and wiped it straightaway

because I hoped the flame wouldn’t burn my

face via my hair.

I was so shocked that I just stood there and

cried, and the first thing I thought was drat it;

my eyelashes have been burnt away. It was not

chill. It burned and hurt and I could not stop

crying and all the children were standing around

me, so I asked them “Am I still beautiful?” to

which they replied in unison “YES!”

Just in case, we went to the hospital to check if

anything had been damaged. I had to fill in a

form, and under personal information they

asked me for my religion, but I don’t have one.

So Ita told me to just write “Christian”, because

it is weird and unheard of not to have a religion

around here.

21

My face is cooled with

cotton in the hospital

One day after the burn.

Obvious bags under my

eyes

Well, then someone from First Aid came and

cooled my face with lots of wet balls of cotton

wool. See pictures. I was able to laugh again!

Then they put on an ointment that was supposed

to help against the burning feeling. And sure

enough, it went away immediately. Slight problem

was that it was based on sesame oil. So I

smelled of sesame seeds. I felt like a piece of

sushi.

Then when I came home the children were all

asking me how I was, and even though I wasn’t

feeling that well, because, hello, my face had

been on fire, I went to dance with the children

(they had a dancing lesson) and they managed to

cheer me up with terrible dance moves and

jokes. They are such darlings!

My face, gleaming

with the sesame

seed ointment

when I came out of

hospital In the evening the caretaker told the children that

they should not touch the oven, and that only the

kitchen staff, Ita and me were allowed to do so.

When I told Tante Nel about this, she said “Of

course, can you imagine the things that could

happen, it’s so dangerous!” So I replied: “Uh,

yes, Tante Nel, I can imagine. Look at my

eyelashes ...!”

So I went around with fat eyes for two days,

because my eyelids had been burnt and the bit of

skin that is underneath my eyes too, so it looked

like I had huge bags under my eyes. See picture.

Meanwhile everything has completely healed,

thank goodness. Both my eyelids and the area

under my eyes. The only thing that hasn’t quite

recovered are my eyelashes.

22

Adoption

Symbolic Adoption is a very

direct and personal way to

support the children’s home Pa

van der Steur in Jakarta/Bekasi

Adopting a child who lives in the

home costs €192 a year (or € 16

a month). You can of course

adopt more than one child, or

adopt together with friends or

relatives, or as an association or

institution. Through direct contact

(mainly in writing) with your

adoptive child, your relationship

with the orphanage will become

truly special.

By adopting, you also become a

member of our society. 10% of

your adoption fee is regarded as

a contribution. For this, you

receive our annual Bulletin and

other information. In addition,

90% of your contribution goes

entirely to the home and the

education and development of all

the children who stay there. For

details about adoption, please

refer to our website

www.pavandersteur.org where

you will find more details.

The following is important:

• Our association is an ANBI

institution known under (tax)

number 8017.55.840.

Any donations are eligible for tax

deductions.

• Our bank account number is:

NL22INGB0003184522 attn.

Vereniging Vrienden Yayasan

Pa van der Steur

Can we welcome you as adoptive

parent?

Testamentary Disposition Those who wish to remember Yayasan Pa van der Steur in their will can do

this through our society.

The official name of our society is:

Vereniging Vrienden van de Yayasan Pa van de Steur.

Association Act passed before the notary G.W. Krabbe in The Hague dated

17th July 1991.

Registered with the Chamber of Commerce under No. 404.127.28.

ANBI institution recognised under tax number 8017.55.840

Support the work of Pa van der Steur. Stay a member. Become a member.

Encourage others to become a member by not throwing away this Bulletin

but by passing it on to friends, relatives or acquaintances.

.......................................................................................................

Application form

This undersigned: ............................................................................................................ Address:............................................................................................................................ Postcode & City: .............................................................................................

Starting on...................................................... wishes to become a member / donor / adoptive parent for the Vereniging Vrienden van de Yayasan Pa van der Steur.

He she undertakes to pay ………………. annually, with a minimum of € 19.

(Adoption: €€ 16 per month per child, or € 192 annually)

Bank account: NL22INGB0003184522 attn. Ver. Vrienden Yayasan Pa van

der Steur.

Date: ........................................... Signature: .................................................... Please send this form to:

A.J.Jutte

Saturnus 10

2353 WK Leiderdorp, the Netherlan

23

PA VAN DER STEUR

150 YEARS OLD AND STILL VERY MUCH

ALIVE!

By Nel de Borst On 10th of July 2015, we commemorated the fact that Johannes van der Steur was born 150 years ago. At 27 years

old, he moved to what is now Indonesia to start doing the job he became known to us for. It is now 123 years

later, but when you see the pictures of all the children in this Bulletin, who are very much alive, you will realise

that his posthumous work, the Yayasan Pa van der Steur in Jakarta and Pondok Gede still exists.

Here, children who no longer have parents or who have a father and/or

mother who can no longer take care of them, are welcomed with open arms

and raised, educated and prepared for Indonesian society in the spirit of

Johannes van der Steur.

Bram Bernard and Pa

Pa’s love for children

If you are in Jakarta and have some spare time, please come and have a look at the Yayasan Pa van der Steur.

It is easy to get to via the Jalan Tol. Once you have made an appointment by emailing

pavdsteur@gmail.com you will receive a warm welcome. You can get an impression via this short Youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3gbL_DlCDc

24

Certificate

A certificate signed by Pa van der Steur, which opened many doors for good employers.

Friends of the Yayasan Pa van der Steur

www.pavandersteur.org