Red Nose Foundation (RNF) provides children with a place to learn and play together, no matter one’s race, religion or economic standing. Through the structured study of physical arts (circus), the children learn that a success is celebrated as a team, and a failure is to be challenged together. They learn through experience that each others differences are indeed what makes us a dynamic and exciting community. These lessons, along with self-esteem, perseverance and basic learning skills are taken to the next level, when RNF introduces its educational support program. RNF works with the students, parents and their schools to help the children succeed within their traditional education. Support includes monthly monitoring, weekly tutoring, problem management and full payment of school tuition and fees.

Problem

Indonesia’s slum communities are distraught with poor standards of education and no mandates championing the basic human rights of children, namely the right to a good, fair and balanced education. Up to twenty percent of the children in these slums do not complete elementary school, nearly fifty percent do not complete middle school, and only around fifteen percent of these children are given the opportunity to attend high school.(based on informal research in Red Nose communities) Poor education fosters ignorance, in turn supporting the lack of understanding for others and hindering the development of an empathetic society.

Solution

Red Nose Foundation (RNF) provides children with a place to learn and play together, no matter one’s race, religion or economic standing. Through the structured study of physical arts (circus), the children learn that a success is celebrated as a team, and a failure is to be challenged together. They learn through experience that each others differences are indeed what makes us a dynamic and exciting community. These lessons, along with self-esteem, perseverance and basic learning skills are taken to the next level, when RNF introduces its educational support program. RNF works with the students, parents and their schools to help the children succeed within their traditional education. Support includes monthly monitoring, weekly tutoring, problem management and full payment of school tuition and fees.

Example

Red Nose Foundation uses a three-step model to support the development of empathy in our students and to teach them skills to build and reach their dreams. The first stage is pure arts exploration. During the first year of the children’s education with RNF, the children learn many different styles of art including; circus, theater, dance, music and visual arts. During this stage, RNF focuses on teaching the children how to appreciate and support each other for their strengths and weaknesses. The second stage (year), the children add informal education lessons (English, math, basic literacy and homework help) to their schedules. These classes reinforce the 'learning skills' taught in the arts classes, as well as prepare them to succeed in their traditional schooling. Now that the children our equipped with the social and learning skills needed to succeed, they enter the third and final stage of our program. RNF takes responsibility for the children’s educational expenses as well as assists them with planning their futures (career planning). It is during this third stage where we teach the children that they must take their own future into their own hands and that their success is solely dependent on their own hard work.

Marketplace

At Red Nose Foundation, we strive to include as many initiatives for the enrichment of children’s lives. We often have health/sanitation groups, pro-bono doctors, musicians, and college groups join us to teach special workshops or administer medicine/aid to the children. The biggest challenge that we face is the reality that every child will not be able to finish our program. The sad fact is that the “less traditionally intelligent” children are usually pulled from school by their parents and sent to work before finishing middle school. We work to counter these instances with continuous communications between the parents, schools and the children.