At the start of the Pandemic I had a lot of spare time, so I created personal goals to challenge myself. I wanted to be an intellectual person, an agent of change, and a social person that changes my surroundings for the better. To get started on my third goal, I wanted to try to raise money for people that were affected by the Pandemic. So on my 11th birthday, I doodled two art pieces to crowdfund my project. The media helped in raising awareness about the project. After all the donations, I was able to secure 100 packages that were filled with food that I donated to the people impacted by the huge amount of layoffs.
After that project, I was motivated to do something for the people who have helped to keep my area clean. To help me fund this project, I joined a video competition by the ministry of environment and forestry of Indonesia. One of the aspects in the judging process was voting. Thanks to the people who voted for me, the project was funded. I was able to donate my prize to the janitors and cleaning officers in my area.
At that time I decided to do volunteering every year around the time of my birthday, with the minimum of 1 project a year. That year, I wanted to help the stray cats in my area. There were plenty of kittens that were abandoned and not taken care of. I wanted to make a tote bag with a cat design to represent my cause. This tote bag got appreciation from the Deputy Chairman of the People's Representative Council-the Education Commission (Mrs. Hetifah) and the Minister of Education, Culture and Technology Research of the Republic of Indonesia (Mr. Nadiem Makarim).
I realized that by volunteering, I could improve and help lives. There are many children who are talented but lack money to get proper education. To help those children get funds for their school, I decided to give scholarships to those children. The funds for this project were given to me after I won an education themed competition. The prize was money and a trip to Ivy League universities in the United States. I gave my prize money to children as a scholarship, and I got to go to the United States on an educational trip.
I’m very happy to share with people in need. It’s a priceless experience. I hope that I can make a bigger impact in the future, and that I can inspire other people to do the same because a small act when combined with other small acts, can make a huge difference.
In a couple of months, I will celebrate my 14th birthday. Any idea what project I should do next?
Happy International Volunteer Day, 5 December 2022!
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