Socially Meaningful Ebenezer

In response to Mr. James The Tjoean’s initiative from Australia to upgrade the Social Welfare and Educational Facilities in the prominently Dayak tribal, rural areas of West Kalimantan – formerly British Borneo, now West Kalimantan:

UPGRADING OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES IN WEST KALIMANTAN INDONESIA

BACKGROUND HISTORY

 In 1971, as a result of communal clashes between the local Chinese and Dayak tribal people in the Tebas area along the west coastal road of West Kalimantan instigated by the Chinese Communists, two Christian Churches in Singapore who were interested in Christian mission work in West Kalimantan not too far in the east across the South China Sea, went over to assist the local Christians.

 During these nearly 40 years, with assistance mainly from Singapore, the “Yayasan Perintis Mision Kalimantan Barat (Foundation)” and the Gereja Krsiten Protestant Kalimantan Barat (Church denomination) duly registered with and recognized by the Indonesian Government have developed a wide variety of facilities including an orphanage & school for Dayak orphans and poor children, a medical clinic to give free treatment to the poor and needy with hospital wards for in-patients; educational institutions including 3 kindergartens, a primary school, a SMP junior middle school, a Bible school, 31 rural preaching posts and a large orchard.

To-date, the membership under the Yayasan and the denomination of churches has reached 3,484 inclusive of family members.

The Overseas Coordinator all these years for the Yayasan and Church denomination above is mainly the writer of this paper, Rev Dr Quek Kiok Chiang who coordinates the support from Singapore from the Faith Bible-Presbyterian Church he has been the pastor all these years since 1960.  He also coordinates the regular support of the English-speaking Zion Bible-Presbyterian Church, of which he serves as Advisory Pastor.

PRESENT UPGRADING

And now Mr. James The Tjoean of Sydney Australia, who together with his mother-in-law  has from the very beginning shown interest and support for this pioneering work in Kalimantan Barat, is taking the initiative to upgrade these facilities.  His assistance in getting wider support from Government, commercial and financial sources in Indonesia and Australia for the Orphanage & School, the upgrading of our educational institutions (SMP, SMA into Technical School) are most welcome and will go a long way to benefit the country and people in West Kalimantan. 

 DONATIONS

Please send all donations to the following bank account in Indonesia:

The holder of this bank account Mr. Rudy Setiawan has all these years been handling donation from Singapore churches collected by the Singapore Council of Christian Churches (SCCC) through Rev Quek Kiok Chiang for Christian relief of disaster victims such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and the subsequent Sumatra earthquakes.  Mr. Setiawan has also been trusted by the Indonesia Government for major government building projects such as the dockyards in Jakarta.

CONTACTS

Mr Rudy Setiawan (Indonesia)   

Mr James The Tjoean (Australia)

Rev KC Quek (Singapore)

Quek Kiok Chiang

PBM

14 July 2010