A Hub for Community Empowerment in Kampung Sawah

Located in the middle of the densely populated Kampung Sawah suburb, North Jakarta, the Training Development Center (TDC) of Jakarta is well established. The building belongs to the Atmabrata Foundation under Bruder Petrus, who also serves as our LP4Y Indonesia leader. The building was donated by a Rotary Club and was initially intended for vocational training in automation. Long story short, when John Delaporte visited the place for the first time, he fell in love. Like a paddle meeting the current (a perfect opportunity), Bruder Petrus warmly welcomed LP4Y to operate and run the program in this center starting in 2016. Since then, it has become a center for community empowerment in one of Jakarta’s most vulnerable areas.

The center is strategically located and surrounded by vulnerable communities. It’s not only in the heart of a slum area but also close to fishing villages, red-light districts, and drug-trafficking zones. It's also not far from Tanjung Priok Station, which is widely known as a drug distribution hub. Moreover, this area is part of the coastal community where many people work peeling shellfish (pengupas kerang). Most of the people living here are migrants who come to Jakarta in search of a better life without any skills or diplomas. They start from scratch on the streets, living communally with fellow survivors. It’s common to see multiple families packed into a single house or people sleeping under bridges or on sidewalks.

Like a breath of fresh air, the presence of TDC Jakarta has become a blessing for people living under such harsh conditions. I believe no one would choose to live this way unless life gave them no other choice. In Indonesia, when we talk about equality, the idea of welfare still feels far from reality. Many people suffer in rural areas while everything is centralized in major cities like Jakarta. The wage gap can be three times higher compared to smaller towns.

We cannot label these people as the main contributors to Jakarta’s poverty. They are welfare seekers as individuals forgotten by the government, whose lives have been structurally impoverished. TDC is not just a place where Youth learn to become professionals nor just where they train to wake up early, start at 8 AM, go home at 5 PM, learn computer skills, and practice English with their coaches. These things might sound familiar, especially if you ask Youth what they’ve learned from LP4Y. You’ll often hear:

"I learned computer skills, English, and teamwork."

Beyond that, TDC is more than just a training center. It is a place Youth have dreamed of. As someone born in a village, I wish there had been a TDC in mine. Life pulses here. This is where Youth dare to dream again, where previously silenced voices are now heard, where Youth grow into leaders, and where the community can access knowledge that is shared by Youth and our partners through advocacy activities and job training.

For example, just recently, Servier Indonesia conducted medical checkups for elderly residents in Kampung Sawah, targeting over 50 participants. And this wasn’t a one-time event. Previously, organizations such as Yayasan Anak dan Perempuan, Rohto Laboratories Indonesia, Essilor, and North Jakarta International School conducted similar programs on various important topics, including HIV/AIDS screenings, regular health checkups, hygiene workshops on female reproductive health, and more. TDC has also become a safe space for children to learn English through thematic lessons. This activity is called the “Café Project”, an initiative to engage Kampung Sawah residents in creative and inclusive community activities. TDC has even been used as a Zumba venue for the local women too.

There is so much to explore in a training center. We try to nurture the community’s sense of ownership, seeing TDC as an asset that can help improve their quality of life through job training and programs designed to address the challenges they face. TDC Jakarta is also well-liked by residents because it sells gallons of clean drinking water, something highly needed by the community, especially when clean water access is limited.

Have I told you about the flooding that happens in Kampung Sawah? It frequently affects the center and the surrounding area due to rising sea levels and heavy rains. Poor drainage systems only worsen the situation. This is a community where trash is often burned or thrown indiscriminately and it is blocking waterways that make floods everywhere. 

In 2024, Servier Indonesia, through the Mecenat Foundation, provided funding to LP4Y for major renovation works in response to this emergency. We finally managed to raise the center’s floor by about 20 - 25 cm to prevent flood water from entering the premises. For years, TDC had suffered from water damage, which affected computers, other equipment, and most importantly, posed serious safety risks to Youth during training.

And here’s another piece of happy news from TDC that this year, we received in-kind podcast equipment donations from MANE for a podcast project and it will be launched soon. Hopefully, it will be even more useful for the community!