In the secluded Indonesian village of Karang Sari, goods are sparse: electricity, transportation, and especially books. Young marriage ages and a lack of resources have led to a low quality in education for generations. A young man from Karang Sari, Jumari, has always dreamed of giving back to the community that built him; luckily for him, while in class at the University of Indonesia, he met YES '14 alumna Jaya (hosted by IRIS in Davenport, IA), and she took what she learned from the YES program to turn his dream into a reality.

Jaya said, "After a year in the United States with IRIS, I learned a lot about volunteerism, which hasn't been that commonly done in my community. I saw many volunteering events, and I am amazed at how they can help others. Since then, I've always had this sound in my heart that I have to give back after the amazing opportunity I received from my exchange year."

So, one-by-one, Jaya began to pull together resources. She assembled a team of friends, applied for grants and promoted the group which they named PORDA (Pemuda Pelopor Daerah, which translates to "local youth pioneer"). PORDA made it their mission to help University of Indonesia students with rural backgrounds give back to their villages.

Their first mission was a project called Membangun Bumi Sedulang Setudung, what we would roughly translate as coming back home. Through Membangun Bumi Sedulang Setudung, PORDA traveled 18 hours via boat to Karang Sari. Once there, they became acclimated to the community, held learning sessions for the local elementary school, donated books, and impressively held a free health check-up for the entire village.

PORDA's departure from the village was tearful. Jaya noted that several students and teachers teared up at the generosity of the program. Jaya's experience with YES and her stay in Davenport, Iowa seemed to come full circle after her project in the village.

"When I was in the U.S. I never really understood what it means to give back to your nation," said Jaya. "There is a national song titled 'Padamu Negeri' (To The Nation), and one of its verses says, 'To you, my nation I serve.' I couldn't really understand what the meaning of it was and why I should serve, but when I came to Karang Sari, Bayuasin, meeting the people there and seeing the children's brightly spirited eyes. I showed me the meaning of service."

Each year, IRIS supports several projects like Jaya’s through its Global Grant Program. The Global Grant Program raises funds through events like the Layers of Diversity Art Auction that is held in the summer, and the International Peace Walk that is held in the fall. Those funds are then distributed to IRIS alumni across the world for community service projects similar to PORDA. Learn more about IRIS!