Sahabat Anak's Olympic
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“Kak, this is our medal! We won!”
This was the sentence that flowed from the small mouth of one of the winners of the Engklek competition to one of the young adults that regularly mentors and supports children of the area (“kak”, short for “kakak” is the affectionate title for this type of person). The child proudly displayed the medal, made from used cardboard, spray painted gold with the Sahabat Anak (SA) logo, and hung by a wide ribbon.
That Sunday morning, November 12th, 2006, approximately 11 buses took turns entering the field at Ukrida in Grogol, West Jakarta, carrying around 400 children from 11 marginal areas of Jakarta and its suburbs (Depok, Klender, Buaran, Jatiasih, Bekasi, Prumpung, Pejompongan, Gambir, Manggarai, Cijantung, and Senen). They came to be a part of The Sahabat Anak Olympic, which was carried out for the first time by Sahabat Anak as a way to build relationships, plant values of competition and sportsmanship, as well as uphold one of the rights’ of children, namely the right to play.
Kakaks Even More Tense than the kids
The young athletes from each local area participated in 6 events: Engklek, Galasin, Blind Bull, Zig-zag Sack-hop, Fun Relay, and Mini-soccer. The traditional games were purposely chosen to encourage their vitality as part of the culture, and despite their simplicity, forced the children to use their energy and intelligence at its highest capacity in order to put together a victorious strategy.
The opening ceremonies were carried out in joyous fashion. Each contingent excitedly waved their flag and shouted the name of their home area. The OLISA torch was carried by Benyamin Lumy, the Director of Sahabat Anak, who was followed by the other SA board members as well as 11 young representatives, one from each area. The olympic flame was then lit to signify the opening of the day’s event.
Each event had three winners; the first place winner received a gold medal, the second a silver and the third a bronze. In addition, they were awarded a cash prize in the amount of IDR 100,000, IDR 75,000 and IDR 50,000 respectively. This money was handed over to the kakak chaperones from their particular area, who then used it to buy school supplies and/or other daily needs to support the lives of the children and their families. The events of the day made for a whole realm of actions and reactions from the kids – some funny and cute as only kids can be, others tense and focused, and still others down right angry. Uncontainable excitement, a few cases of cheating, some got injured, protests against the call of the jurors who was leading the event – these were the events that colored the day. The kakak chaperones, though, often looked even more tense and exited than the children themselves in their efforts to motivate their “little brothers and sisters” in the events of the day.
The Champion
The closing ceremony was carried out late in the afternoon to end the event that is scheduled to be held every 2 years. This was the moment that the nearly 400 pairs of eyes had waited for – the announcement of the grand champion, who would receive the OLISA cup and a cash prize of IDR 2 million. After a Betawi dance performance from our college friends from the Faculty of Dance at UNJ, who at the same time brought out the OLISA cup, the MC shouted the name “Bekasi” as the grand champion. A boisterous applause and many shouts rang out to congratulate the winners.
All the members of the Bekasi contingent got up on stage. “I honestly did not think these kids could win. I myself got here late. But truly this is the proof of their efforts,” said Maria, coordinator of the program in Bekasi, with a broken voice. For sure, all of the participants went home that night feeling like they had shown the best of their skills and abilities. Win
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