Activities and Services in the Pa van der Steur Dorm

 

Since 1985, the majority of the pupils have stayed in the Pondok Gede dorm, and only a small number are still housed at Jalan Matraman No. 77, where they live together with their caretakers and counselors.
Altough there are more than one hundred children and they are from different walks of life and ages, they are able to live harmoniously as real brothers and sisters. They respect their caretakers as they do their parents, while toward their seniors they behave as toward their elder brothers and sisters; whereas their juniors they regard as their younger brothers and sisters.

To go to school, all ages from the Kindergarten pupils to the Junior High School students only have to walk a few metres, because the Pa van der Steur Christian Kindergarten, Elementary School dan Junior High School stand next to the dormitory. As to sports, they can choose, because in the dorm and school's compound there are various facilities for, for example table tennis, soccer, badminton, volleyball, and basketball. At the dorm the pupils are brought up to be independent from a very young age, and have responsibilities ranging from making their beds to seeing to their other needs like washing
their clothes and cleaning their bedrooms themselves. For health services there is a doctor who visits three times a week. In their efforts to strengthen their charges' faith in God, the Board cooperates with the nearby Protestant Church of Indonesia, Western Sector. The Senior High School students receive religious education in church, whereas the small children are given instruction in the dorm.

In order to get them used to a disciplined life, the caretakers fix a schedule of activities that must be adhered to, starting from getting up in the morning at 5 AM until going to bed at night at 9 PM.

In the major vacations, those who live in Jakarta are allowed to go home and stay with their parents for two weeks. For those who live in the dorm permanently, the Board provides recreational opportunities such as visiting tourist attractions in Jakarta as well as in West Java. Therefore it can be said that in the children's lives at the dorm, they get everything they need sufficiently and in a reasonable way. Concerning education, the Board gives them opportunities to continue their studies at Institutes of higher learning or to attend proficiency courses. Naturally this opportunity is only given to those who have potential dan can show seriousness and goodwill.