Graduation Day and Business Showcase

2/3/2020 12:00:00 AM

---

Jakarta – A crowd of people seemed to buzzed in Hall C, Semanggi Campus Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia (AJCUI), on Friday (31/1). These people are participants of the entrepreneurship training program title ‘Ready for Business’ for refugees and Indonesians.   Among them, some tables are displaying a variety of products such as snacks, pastries, and crafts that were all ready to be sell. These are the results of the training that spend approximately six months under the care of Unika Atma Jaya and Dompet Dhuafa.

 

The participants looked thrilled and nervous as each of them come to the stage to receive a certificate with their name on it, relieved that the lesson has ended and they will soon start a new journey.

 

This group is the second batch to complete the training program, following the success of the pilot project of last year‘s class.

 

Graduation Day and Business Showcase in Semanggi Campus, Friday (31/1)

 

One participant from Iraq, Nashaat Jihat Mghamis Yousif, shared his story when he first seeks asylum in Indonesia. Nashaat is a dentist, graduated from a Ukrainian university. The uncertainty of his home country made him decide to leave the country in the hope of a better life, but things are not quite as he expects.

 

As a refugee, he is not allowed to perform his profession as a dentist. This condition drives him insecure and almost loses hope — moreover, the gap culture is not helping much. During the first year of his refuge, he claimed to suffer from stress and stunned due to how the conditions are very much different.

 

Nashaat then introduced the Ready for Business program by UNCHR and ILO. He realized an opportunity to start new, and so he decided to join the program at Atma Jaya.

 

"At the moment, I am a refugee representative, an interpreter, a student of Atma Jaya. A Lot of things except dentistry, but still, I love it. I have to use any opportunity that I have currently," says Yousif.

 

Nashaat Jihat Mghamis Yousif in Graduation Day and Business Showcase, Friday (31/1)

 

KUPP: Commitment for a Better Society

 

The Center for Community Empowerment (Pusat Pemberdayaan Masyarakat/PPM), under the Institute for Research and Community Service (Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat/LPPM), is in charge of managing activities of the refugee, and other participants of Ready for Business program in Atma Jaya. PPM sees there are other essential aspects needed to assist, such as sanitation, physical and mental health, social interaction skills, and language. These are essential, most-importantly for the refugees since they are vulnerable to cultural shock and the potential to cause conflict in the community. Hence, they try to organize some sessions and in collaboration from across faculty and units, aiding these refugees.

 

Dr. Yohanes Eko Adi Prasetyanto, Head of LPPM, hoped that the participants might make the use of training sessions and could bring them to a better place, "I hope that the participants can be independent both socially and economically, also can obtain a more promising future," said Eko.

 

(left-right) Chairul Anwar (Head of the Refugee Task Force), Ann Maymann (Representative UNCHR Indonesia), Kazuyoshi Chatani (Employment Specialist - ILO), Haryo Mojopahit (GM of Advocacy - Dompet Dhuafa), Agustinus Prasetyantoko, Yohanes Eko Adi Prasetyanto (Head of LPPM) holding hand-craft products from the participants.

 

For Atma Jaya, this is part of the commitment of the humanitarian mission. It also part of Atma Jaya‘s core values: KUPP (Christian, Excellent, Professional, and Caring). Rector of AJCUI, Dr. A. Prasetyantoko, said that this was a form of contribution from academics,

 

"Atma Jaya Catholic University gives full attention to social and national issues. Through this cooperation, it is our contribution as academics to help the refugees and society," says Prasetyantoko. The Rector also added that Atma Jaya Catholic University will continue to open more doors of opportunity and reach out to marginalized groups for a better social life.

 

Since 2018, the Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, together with Dompet Dhuafa, has partnered with UNCHR and ILO to foster refugees from conflicting countries who seek asylum in Jakarta. (HCR)