Volunteer’s Stories: The Contribution of Tokyo International University Students for Ende's Children

Having a passion for one of the things makes Chiquita, or Chika can contribute to many people. The grantee student at Tokyo International University majoring in International Relations loves writing and public speaking very much, and that allowed her to help WVI assisted children in Ende Regency, NTT.

Chika, who has just stayed at Ende since the Covid-19 pandemic, decided to become a WVI volunteer. She contributes as a lecturer of Communication Skills in the Child-Led Research project held by WVI with assisted children in Ende.

“My mother told me that there is a WVI's office in the city of Ende. Because my class schedule hasn't started yet, I finally went to the WVI office in Ende and signed up as a volunteer to fill my spare time and share it with my friends in need,” said Chika.

Chika admitted that at that time she got a lot of things from the children she taught. The child's willingness to learn and be active in the classroom reminds her to always be grateful for the privilege in the field of education. She was also moved to be able to share with more people in any way.

Her love for humanitarian issues has been coming on since high school. She likes various things related to child welfare.

“From some of my social service experiences, I realized that the quality of life of Indonesian children, especially those who live in rural areas, is still very minimal. Therefore, I hope that I can use my writing and speaking skills to help improve the welfare of Indonesian children… I hope that with the sessions I bring, children can learn and improve their soft skills. This will be very useful in the future,” she added.

While waiting for her lecture schedule to start, Chika is now also actively doing internships in a company and volunteering in several organizations, one of which is WVI. Chika feels grateful to be able to do #AksiDariHati with WVI and is happy that her educational background and achievements are considered by WVI.

“Doing voluntary activities at WVI is very exciting! The mentors are very friendly and open to new people. I don't think I will be able to do things that are too significant in this volunteer activity, especially when the supervisors have much more experience in this field,” she said.

Chika advised everyone who was moved to volunteer not to delay their wish.

“While you still have time and energy, you have to join volunteering at WVI. Here you are allowed to share with friends in need while developing yourself. Just join volunteer at WVI so that you can have an impact on those around you with your abilities!” she told.

Written by: Putri ianne Barus, Communications Officer Wahana Visi Indonesia