Why am I here?

A few entries ago, as I sat in Chicago waiting for my flight to Korea at the start of this journey, I had a moment to think about the reasons why I chose to come to Indonesia. I remember not being able to think of anything specific. Sure I, like many people, was looking for an opportunity to ‘make a difference’ or ‘contribute’ but I often feel like these terms are over-used – big fancy terms that look great on paper but may not necessarily mean a lot in the real world. Clearly I was looking for some kind of adventure as well, but it didn't feel like enough. So I was still trying to come up with a reason all my own for doing this, and I think there is finally one materializing.

I had the immense pleasure of attending the VSO Indonesia Annual Volunteer Conference in Kupang, on the island of West Timor. I met VSO volunteers from all over the world, people who are already in their placements, unlike me (I am still in the relative luxury of Bali attempting to learn Bahasa before heading off to Solo in about 3 weeks). They are entrenched in the actual work of strengthening and building capacity within VSO’s local partner organizations to better deliver the services they have set out to deliver to those in need.

VSO operates in 3 program areas in Indonesia: Disability (where I will be working), Livelihoods, and Health. There are approximately 40 VSO volunteers working in these three areas primarily on the island of Java and in the province of Nusa Tenggara Timor, or NTT, the poorest in Indonesia. This past weekend, I learned of a project to improve water management, and therefore increase crop yields, in an area often affected by drought. I learned of a young mother who managed to get her malnourished baby to a healthy weight because a VSO volunteer facilitated a workshop on nutrition for newborn babies. I learned of small but essential improvements in the delivery of health services. I learned about a disabled man who is proudly working in the security department of a hotel here in Bali, because he had been introduced to them by a Disabled Peoples’ Organization that VSO had assisted in developing a formal employment program.

These are real accomplishments facilitated by volunteers on the ground here in Indonesia. I would like to emphasize that these changes were not implemented by volunteers. The VSO volunteers' role is to aid organizations to determine themselves what they need and assist them to get there – which hopefully means that the improvement itself becomes sustainable and remains long after the volunteer has gone home.

After hearing about these results and seeing the tenacity and passion with which these amazing men and women tackle their projects, I can only hope that I am able to help facilitate small but important improvements in the lives of people with disabilities in Solo. And that, I think, is reason enough to be here.