It's Not Just About The Development Program
"In 2004, I saw a job advertisement for World Vision Indonesia on a website. At that time, the name was still World Vision. But it wasn't the position that I was interested in, it was the picture of Papuan children in the background of the ad," said Ignatius Anggoro, known as Mas Anggoro. It was the picture of the Papuan children that sparked the call to serve children through WVI. Mas Anggoro made up his mind to start working as a humanitarian worker.
Nineteen years have passed since Mas Anggoro applied to work at WVI. In this long period of time, Mas Anggoro remembers many joys, and even feels no sorrow. "The source of joy is that I can be present in the midst of the children and the assisted communities, so that I can feel and understand their dreams and struggles. I also have the privilege to see the changes that occur among children and communities," said the man who currently works as Area Program Manager for Sambas District, West Kalimantan.
Before becoming a manager in Sambas, Mas Anggoro worked in several other operational offices in West Kalimantan. Mas Anggoro has also worked as far as Jayapura, Papua. Besides his experience in community development programs, the Solo-born man was directly involved in handling emergency response in Sintang District, West Kalimantan and during the Earthquake-Tsunami-Liquefaction in Palu, Central Sulawesi.
"Of all these experiences, the most memorable for me was when WVI responded to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said. In the midst of cases surge and face-to-face meetings were very limited, Mas Anggoro and his team still had to ensure the health and safety conditions of children and communities in the assisted villages. "We actually have to work in the field and deal with many people. The risk of virus transmission is quite high even though we have carried out health protocols. However, driven by a strong desire to ensure the safety of children and to bring joy to them so that they do not experience depression due to the pandemic, my team and I finally gave ourselves to monitor the village,".
The efforts and risks that Mas Anggoro and his team took turned out to have a good impact. Children and communities are well monitored and can receive proper education regarding the transmission of the COVID-19 virus and the health protocols that must be carried out. The bonus is that during the pandemic, Mas Anggoro was never once exposed to COVID-19.
As a leader of an operational office, Mas Anggoro has the best provision from the experience he gained during his time as a program coordinator. For Mas Anggoro, his experience as a Community Development Coordinator (CDC) brought the biggest change in his life. "I learned a lot about how to live and work with the community. I also learned for the first time how to create a clean water pipeline program. From conducting surveys to springs in the middle of the forest, implementing the construction until it was finally inaugurated. I am grateful to have an extraordinary mentor, the late Mr. Thomas Setyoso, so that I realize that the community does not only need programs, but the confidence to be able to carry out and complete the program so that their children can live more prosperously,".
After working for so long, Mas Anggoro concluded that WVI is a unique organization. A humanitarian organization that is very professional, but still adheres to Christian values. WVI is also a very open organization and provides ample opportunities for its staff to grow. Even the children and wives of staff are allowed to give input to the organization. "I hope that, with the current culture, WVI remains a channel of blessing for the children and communities it serves. WVI remains consistent in defending children's rights and empowering communities to continue to favor children," he concluded.
Writer: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)
