Pursuing Dreams

Banditas are courageous women who are pursuing dreams and make things happen for themselves and their communities. She understands her worth and loves herself. This type of woman is known as a Bandita. Meralda is one such woman. She supports Indonesian kids to pursue their dreams and achieve what they want to become in life.

“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.“

– Nelson Mandela

33-year-old Meralda comes from Jakarta, where she studied Public Relations before switching to her preferred sector in Advertising. Meralda and her husband moved to Bali during Covid when she was four months pregnant. Now a full-time mother to an 18-month-old daughter and a 13-year-old boy, she works part-time as a social media manager, manages a foundation, volunteers, and is pursuing her dreams by running her project, School Boat Indonesia.

In 2015, Meralda visited Labuanbajo and Rinca Island.

She soon learned of the secluded settlement of Kerora, which is nearly impossible to reach and sits behind the hills next to Rinca. She collaborated with Labuanbajo inhabitants to reach and help people in Kerora with garbage management, planting mangrove trees, and other tasks.

As a mother of a 13-year-old boy, Meralda constantly wondered how the elder children from Kerora Village managed to make the 3-hour trek through the Komodo dragons area to get to Rinca for school because such a journey is not doable twice a day.

There appeared to be many obstacles to education for these young adults, with only a rickety boat available and the apparent wave movement making the return journey unsafe. That is, if you don’t have a place to stay in Rinca, which is generally with an uncle or aunt – but what 11-year-old doesn’t want to go home to his parents after school?

For many students, this was the end of school. They become fishermen if they are lucky or find another career they can accomplish without legitimate primary school education. Meralda could not shake this thought from her mind because it should be possible for all children to go to school safely.

She decided to launch her project, School Boat Indonesia.

Every day, the boat transports the older pupils from Kerora Village to school in Rinca and back safely.

How do you pay for the School Boat?

First with myself, then with my close circle, which includes family and friends. Now, I have the assistance of the Panji Ibrahim Foundation and We Thrive.

We Thrive is an organization that helps other nonprofits make a more significant impact.

I want to use this idea to help the children of Kerora Village pursuing their dreams and, eventually, mine.

I began a fundraising campaign two months ago with artists and musicians from Bali and Flores to build a School Boat for the kids of Kerora village on Rinca Island, reducing their journey time from a 3-hour trek through the Komodo dragon zone to a 20-minute boat trip.

A fresh idea will always carry the danger of failure. Are you afraid of failing?

Of course, I am afraid, but I am also really excited. Showing courage and taking risks is the best way to move out of your comfort zone. It is a fantastic way to force yourself to grow, life is full of risks, and it’s true, someday our bodies will die.

Another fact is that there is no fun without risk, and there is already a risk when we leave our homes in the morning. Accept challenges and embrace the chances you will take; they will push you out of your comfort zone and make your life more enjoyable.