Orphan Kafala Program

The tsunami disaster that struck the coast of the south and south-east regions of Asia in December 2004 left in its wake more than 30,000 displaced or orphaned children, most of them in the Aceh province, Republic of Indonesia. The Orphans Kafala Program (OKP) was implemented in 6 districts in the Aceh province to support orphans aged 3-18 years old who lost their father and/or mother because of the tsunami or other reasons. The OKP program is funded by 19 International donors with a total pledged fund accumulating to US$25.704 million.The leading donor of OKP was KAAP, The King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Program for Charity Works, with a sum of US$10.8 million.

Objectives

The sponsorship comprises providing orphans with basic needs, such as living expenses, shelter, food, clothing, health, and educational support, in addition to secondary needs such as vocational training, and social and sport activities to help them return to their normal life and regain their identity in their own community.

Beneficiaries

A total of 13,257 orphans who have lost either or both of their parents are benefitting from the program.

Impact & Socio-Economic Results

The monthly allocation of US$30 for each orphan is distributed as follows: US$24/participant as monthly living allowance + US$6/participant managed by the three Project Implementing Agencies (PIA) to cover the provision and distribution of schooling kits, health assistance, mentoring/monitoring of participants, and training or development activities. These three PIAs are BMM, Rumah Zakat Indonesia, and PKPU.

The project has a positive impact on the orphaned children by sponsoring them until they become capable of joining universities and integrating into the society. Furthermore, outstanding students were provided with scholarships to pursue their university studies.

USD24: Living Expenses

The fund transfers directly to the orphans’ bank account at the beginning of the month to cover their living expenses. The fund aims at supporting orphans to live decently and healthy like other children. The main objective of Living Expenses is to fulfill orphans’ daily needs such as nutritious food, clothes, school transportation cost and others. This system also reduces the risk of fund misuse because both the orphan and the guardian have to sign for the fund withdrawal. If the orphan withdraws the fund by ATM, the banking system will send a transaction notification to the registered phone number.

The banks that OKP works with include:

1. Bank Muamalat (for Sigli and Aceh Utara districts)
2. Bank Syariah Mandiri (for Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, and Sabang districts)
3. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (for Aceh Besar district)
4. BPR Mustaqim (for Pulo Aceh district)

This program has educated the children about finances and banking, where they can recognize the procedure of saving in the bank, interact with bankers and make transactions at automated teller machines (ATM). They get motivated to save and manage their savings for the future.

USD2: Supervision and Monitoring

OKP has 45 tutors spread into 6 districts. They are responsible for monitoring and supervising orphans’ progress and development monthly. PIAs operations and administration in this sector include the following:

USD2: Education

Various activities were conducted in this sector to support orphans’ education such as additional classes, religious classes and educational tours. Every orphan also received school kits at the beginning of the academic year. The school kit contained uniforms, shoes, bags and stationery.

Success Story: Zahra

My name is Zahra. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the donors for taking good care of me for so many years. I am thankful for having been chosen as a beneficiary of the Orphans Kafala Program (OKP). My memories go back to December 2004. I had one special request to my father: I wanted a birthday celebration and presents. My parents agreed to celebrate my birthday in my grandparents’ house. On my birthday, I went with my mother to my grandparents’ house. Meanwhile, my father was at our house in Blang Oi, near Ulee Lheu Beach. That morning, we felt a strong earthquake, but had no idea what had happened. My uncle took me to see the situation near Big Mouse and we saw people running and screaming, and my uncle heard a really loud noise, like an airplane. He decided to go back to my grandparents’ house. I did not realize what’s happening as I was only 3 years old at that time. In the afternoon, we went back to our house and found it had been swept away by the tsunami. We failed to find my father. His passing was very difficult for me and my mother to accept. My mother is a teacher and she had to take full responsibility to take care of me. Since our home was gone, we lived temporarily at our grandparents’ house. Fortunately, I met the requirements and was able to join the Orphans Kafala Program (OKP) when I was in the second grade of elementary school, at the age of 8. In this program, I met many brothers and sisters who had suffered similar losses. We received financial support, healthcare, academic courses, and many people gave us love and care. I started to enjoy normal life like other children. Time passed so fast. I am now enrolled to study psychology at the Syiah Kuala University. I use the remaining scholarship savings from OKP to buy books and other needs for college. I am trying hard to learn as much as I can so I could get a good job after graduation. To the brothers and sisters who are still active at OKP, keep the spirit to face the future life.

“Do good, work hard and consistently, and incredible things will follow”

Success Story: Haikal

Razi was born on 14 April 1999 in Banda Aceh. When the tsunami hit Aceh, he was only five years old. Both his father and mother were lost to the tsunami. At that time, he had no idea what’s going on. As he remembered, people rushed out of their homes and scattered around the streets.

Within seconds, the neighborhood was full of debris and dead bodies.

I lived with my aunt and she took care of me and loved me like her own son. She always encourages me to keep strong and vibrant. She also provides me with the best education, as she remembered my father always said, “Education is very important and key to success”. He was enrolled at OKP in 2006. He met with brothers and sisters who had suffered similar losses. He was getting more enthusiastic about life, especially education. Razi grew to be a brilliant child. He was an environment ambassador in 2014 and a top five student since grade 7 until 12. He also participated in the Mathematic Olympiad, and in the high school student summit on world Tsunami Awareness day in Japan, 2016.

Now he has become a young man and is continuing his studies at university. He is a student of the Geophysics and Geology Department in Engineering Faculty, Syiah Kuala University. Razi is also continuing as an excellent student at university. He established an organization called “Youth Disaster Awareness Forum” to enhance knowledge of youth about mitigating the effects of disasters. He was a member of a diplomatic delegation in the Honorary Youth Ambassador of New Zealand in 2017. He also participated in the ASEAN Plus Three Youth Environment Forum in Thailand in 2019. He said, “I am at this point because of the support from my family, OKP, love and caring from Abi and Ummi”.

A message to his beloved brothers and sisters in OKP “For my brothers and sisters in OKP, never give up and do the best”.

"Never give up"

Implementation Timeline and Progress

The project started in the aftermath of the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004 and continues until the orphans reach 18 years of age, so it is expected to conclude in 2021/2022.