ANAK BANGSA - the Children - Get to know Eka

<body> <p>Get to know Eka<br /> A wise girl of 11 years old</p> <p>In Indonesia everybody seems to be concerned about today and not about tomorrow or the future. Not Eka, she is thinking about her future. She is very determined to reach her goal: becoming a paediatrician.<br /> <br /> “My passion to be a doctor comes from my ‘auntie’, who is a nurse. Seeing how you can make people better inspires me. I want to do that too, as a doctor. I have a lot of empathy for sick children and my dream is to help them.”</p> <p></p> <p>Eka is not only studying very hard, she is also saving money for university. Thinking ahead she has calculated how much she will need to fund her studies. Of the pocket money she gets half of it goes in a special place- a bamboo pipe outside the house!<br /> <br /> “Normally, at the end of a semester my father and I cut the pipe to collect my saved money. Sometimes we need money to buy books, stationary or new uniforms.”<br /> <br /> Saving money for later is quite a normal concept in western society. However, it is not for those poor families where Eka comes from. Life is based on surviving on a day-to-day basis. Here children are lucky when they are able to finish Elementary School.<br /> <br /> “When I told my parents about my dream, they wanted to support me. But I know they don’t have enough money for both my sister and me to go to school. That’s why I started saving when I was in first class.”<br /> <br /> Eka lives with her parents and little sister Rika in a small house next to a busy road. At the house her parents have a small bike repair shop (‘presban’). When her father is not working there he helps his neighbours with some small jobs. Sometimes Eka helps her parents at the shop by selling fuel or giving her father a helping hand. More often than not she is in her room, reading, studying and doing her homework.<br /> <br /> “Every afternoon when I get back from school I have something to eat then do my homework with Rika. I like to study, because I want to learn new things. When I have time, I help my father or mother. Sometimes, my father gives me a share of the money he has earned… and that will go to my savings!”<br /> <br /> Eka is attending the After School Care Program of Anak Bangsa. Her passion to become a paediatrician is being supported and encouraged.<br /> <br /> “Learning English will help me later in college, makes it easier for me to study. By learning the computer I will be able to use the Internet. Then, I can learn everything!”</p> </body>