We then drove to his community, which was a long hour and a half trip through the mountains. We had the opportunity to visit two schools which are supported by ChildFund. It was lovely to meet the teachers at the schools – one of the teachers even told us that she had been sponsored through ChildFund as a young girl.
I think for my boys seeing the schools really showed them how poor this area of Indonesia is. They compared the schools they saw to their own school back home – there was a world of difference between them. The ingenuity of the teachers was really wonderful to see, they use locally sourced materials, such as corn, as learning aids for the children.
We finished our day at the beach where we had the chance to play some more cricket. I had a great time meeting Jefri. It really made our sponsorship that much more real and tangible. I can now visualise his community and his day-to-day life in Sumba.
Jefri is currently studying science at a university in Jakarta. He told me that once he finishes his degree he wants to come back to Sumba and teach science at his local school. I am so happy that Jefri’s sponsorship means he not only is able to finish his own education but he will also have the chance to help improve the lives of other children in his community – sponsorship truly has a knock-on effect.
