Meet RPL. Ten years ago she was hopping from one bus to another, singing for some small change for the bus passengers. Today, she has completed her high school education, and she has done it in flying colours, being among the best graduates in her class.
RPL is a unique girl. We met her in 2010 at the Djombor junction, Sleman when she was not even 9 years old. She had to live in the streets with her family, who lost everything because of a gambling problem. When offered to return to school with Dreamhouse Hope Shelter program (scholarship and boarding house program), she agreed. Maybe because we have already helped her older sister a year before.
Enrolling her to school, we found a little problem. She did not have any paper concerning her civil status. Thus, the school we wanted to enroll her into, refused to admit her. After some negotiation, the school agreed to admit her as an observing student only. It means she was not officially a student but she could come to class everyday. We agreed to the terms, because we did not want to discourage her.
After one semester, the principal called us and gave us a surprising news. The school decided to accept her as their student. The reason was that her intellectual ability surpassed all other students in her class. She was at the 3rd grade at that time.
After some relentless effort we then managed to get all the documents she needed, most importantly her birth certificate. The school also helped her to get a student identification number.
When she finished elementary school, RPL was the second best graduate of her school. In Junior high school she also kept her focus on and she managed to complete it with good results. And today, she showed me her graduation certificate which shows that she got over 85 out of 100 for her GPA.
RPL’s path into success is not yet done. She wants to find a job that suits her education in chemical engineering. There still much hard work to be done, and many struggles and strives are waiting, but I believe in RPL. If 10 years ago she was willing to work hard for some small change, now, I believe, she is determined to aim for the big change in her life.
Your support to the Dreamhouse will help more children like RPL. Many children out there are still struggling for the opportunity to return to school and to aim for the big change. Care to join us?