Seeing how the other half lives
Multa Fidrus
The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Airin Rachmi Diany, 30, has got it all. She has a good education, a secure job, a rich husband and two lovely children.
But instead of choosing to pretend that she does not see how the other half lives, she finds happiness in helping Banten province's poorest people.
"Time is golden and I don't want to waste it. I always want to be useful to people, particularly the poor. Charity work is much better than giving cash," Airin said recently.
A public notary by profession, Airin, who born on Aug. 28, 1976, in Banjar, West Java, does not want to spend all day behind her desk in her comfortable office in Tangerang.
Airin completed her notary studies at Padjadjaran University in 2003 and post-graduate studies in business law at the same university in 2005.
She said it was important to monitor and evaluate charity work against clear objectives because "good things do not simply fall from the sky. The clearer the goals the better".
Airin said the secret of her success was her willingness to learn from her mistakes. A small opportunity should be seen as the beginning of big opportunity, she said.
The mother of two spends most of her time visiting and helping low-income families in Tangerang regency -- from Pondok Cabe Ilir in the southern part of Tangerang regency to Tanjung Pasir in the northern part.
She approaches difficult situations with a mixture of humor and quiet intelligence and prefers listening to -- rather than talking down to -- the people she meets on her Tangerang trips. In fact, she is known by the community as the Smiling Mother.
"Smiling is the perfect means of communication because it shows the warmth of the soul", Airin said.
Recently she established a free treatment program for people suffering from diarrheal diseases in Sepatan, Pakuhaji and Sukadiri districts.
She also introduced mosquito control and dengue awareness programs -- including a series of sports and youth-orientated events -- in villages affected by dengue fever in Tangerang early this year.
Wherever she goes in Tangerang, she pays great attention to the development of the regency's Islamic boarding schools.
"As the program organizer, I certainly have to spend a lot of time in the outer suburbs, listening to the residents," she said about her hectic schedule.
"From these face-to-face meetings I have gradually begun to understand the real problems facing the regency: poor health and inconsistent development in education."
Born into and growing up in a harmonious and religious family, Airin was a creative child who did well at school. She graduated from Parahyangan University in Bandung, West Java, in 1999.
Airin was selected for the national flag-hoisting team during the 1992 Independence Day flag-raising ceremony at the State Palace.
In 1995, she won Bandung municipality's Mojang Parahyangan pageant and went on to win West Java's Mojang Parahyangan pageant later that year. She joined the 1996 Princess Indonesia pageant and was crowned as both the Tourism Princess and the People's Favorite.
She was also active in the Interschool Organization (OSIS) during her senior high school days and later became a member of Parahyangan University's student council.
Her marriage to businessman Tb. Chaeri Wardana in 1997 has given her one son, Tb. Ghifari Al-Chusaeri Wardana, 9, and one daughter, Ratu Ghefira Marhamah Wardana, 4.
Airin is also a board member, both of the Banten Red Cross (PMI) and the Indonesian Notaries Association (INI).
Aside from that, she organizes the United Banten Volunteers (RBB), an organization established by Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiah to create unity and harmony in Banten.
She is also on the board of the Women's Association for the People's Welfare.
"I rarely take a break from my charity work. I am happy to hear people's problems. The answer is not always financial assistance," she said.
Airin has even arranged for banners to be put up on Tangerang's main streets, calling on the Banten people to develop the province's economy, education and health infrastructure together.
"I earn more than enough, so it is time for me to dedicate my life to the people, not only my family," she said. (September 10, 2007)
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