You’re Not Too Young to Help

"Feelings of pity are not useful, only concrete actions can change Indonesia for the better" - Faye.

Meet our young heroine, Faye, the 16-year old founder of Rumah Faye. She got the idea to establish Rumah Faye when she was in the 5th grade, during her Citizenship Education course on Social Justice. Faye came to learn that child trafficking in Indonesia is a critical and pressing issue. Before her realization, she never fully understood how abundantly blessed she is by God. At that moment, she felt compelled and obligated to help others with what she has. Two years after learning about child prostitution, Rumah Faye was established on October 16, 2019.

At that time, she felt that Non-Governmental Organizations aimed at raising public awareness about sensitive issues such as child prostitution, were still lacking in Indonesia. Indonesian children were not involved enough in this kind of discussion. Thus the idea of Rumah Faye which focuses on using peer-to-peer education on sensitive issues with direct involvement.

Rumah Faye has been standing active for 6 years and counting. The safe house or shelter has been around for 3 years. Yet it is still hard for Faye to come face to face with the daily emotional challenges. The reality of meeting with child prostitution survivors and reading statistics on the level of child trafficking still hits her hard everyday. Regardless of age, young children continue to be used and traded like goods. There are times when she feels like giving up; there are times when she questions the use of Rumah Faye at all. 

But doubts and uncertainties aside, there’s one thing that rings true for Faye for the last 6 years:

“The world won't change just because we feel sorry for the less fortunate people, because we are more fortunate than others. The world will only change when we start to make real changes, start taking action.”

Faye hopes that the “Box of Hope Program” collaboration with Yuna & Co will ignite the power of confidence in the survivors and vulnerable children. Believe it or not, outfits can instantly empower their attitudes and emotions.

It’s also a way to help children in at-risk areas or survivors who are undergoing a recovery program in Rumah Faye. As previously stated, appearance has a powerful impact on self-confidence. Children wearing neat and nice clothes can show their cheerful side, making them feel joyful and bright. Maybe with that little light, they can stop thinking about their dark past - even if for just a moment. 

Retrieved from : https://helloyuna.io/boxofhope/#/story/2