In 2007, during my first trip to the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia, one day a boy approached me about seven years seeking contact me. I spoke in Indonesian, language I was completely unaware. I asked if he spoke English and he said no, who spoke only a few words. Surprising answer since it is the only language that could communicate with the little tourism that exists on the island and take advantage of one of the few resources they have in this place lost time and maps. Then, was almost instinctive, I said that the next day I was going to teach English and to tell their friends to come to my classes also. An idea, an occurrence that I did not know where he was going to take.
I asked if he spoke English and he said no, who spoke only a few words
The next day I went to the meeting place agreed with that child, with a slate that I had borrowed one of the few hotels that exist in the area and my books to learn Indonesian from English (ultimately it was to use the books in the opposite). What was my surprise to see who had come to the meeting place throughout the neighboring village, were a 150 among whom were children, parents and even grandparents.
For the rest of my stay in Sumbawa kept giving my daily English classes, to which every day was coming more and more people, excited that finally someone had decided to help without asking anything in return. I conveyed the gratitude those generated in me a great satisfaction. I felt I had finally found the meaning of my life. Marveling at the sensation, and willingness to learn from these people, I decided that my life had to change. In that moment was born the Harapan Project.
I felt I had finally found the meaning of my life
Once I went back to Barcelona with my job as a lawyer but can not forget for a second that wonderful people, that it was very hard for her life, always had a huge smile on his face. I started working in the Harapan Project, devising a school building in the town of Hu'u (Sumbawa) and meeting with specialists in the field of cooperation that helped me to save all the necessary legal framework to move there and able to help in a regularized. This combining it with my busy life as a lawyer that just allowed me to spend a few hours a day to the project.
During the following years I was doing stays of one or two months on the island of Sumbawa, developing language courses and sports activities aimed at children of the stock of Hu'u, and making deliveries of school supplies, pedagogical, sporting and medical health of the local population. Also, I was taking advantage of my stay on the island to be gathering all the documentation needed for the project (agreements with the Indonesian Government, with the religious community, with local schools, with local people, to the nearest hospital, construction budget, search of the land where the school building ...). If I wanted to carry on the Harapan project needed to have everything closed and that all institutions were consistent with the same.
We were done so I can move to live in Indonesia, yes, lacked a basic thing to start implementing the project and the construction of school, funding
Far, only was a personal iniciativa, He needed to form an NGO and have ready all the project with all the documentation required for the execution of the same. In 2010 after my return from Indonesia, I met with several relatives of mine who had spent many years developing humanitarian work in Africa, work focused on the medical and health field. After much discussion we decided to form an NGO and humanitarian initiatives and professionalize our. Addition, would be a good opportunity to unify our medical and educational activities and so much more ambitious projects addressing. After much work, could finally be the Compatible Development NGOs. We were done so I can move to live in Indonesia, yes, lacked a basic thing to start implementing the project and the construction of school, funding.
At present I am living in Indonesia for over a year and a half, developing various humanitarian projects (reconstruction of a school in Bali after the damage to the last earthquake, monitoring of the debt owed to the association of workers PPDL (http://proyectoharapan.org/proyectos/) and giving free English classes in four schools and two orphanages on the island of Bali. Regrettably, still do not have the necessary funding to build the school on the island of Sumbawa, but we will continue fighting until we can build.
I have always believed that dreams are to make reality and my dream is to build that school. I am convinced that, if it costs me a lot of effort and time, someday I'll get. In the Harapan project striving to build a better future, Help us build.
Website: www.proyectoharapan.org
Harapan Project Videos: https://vimeo.com/user6966750/videos
Carlos Ferrandiz Avendaño
