In the next few months I plan to move to Jakarta's slums and train residents how to use Steemit. There are millions of people in Indonesia who scrape by on less than USD $2 per day - imagine your life on $2 a day!
The opportunity for Steemit to provide improved income and liberty to these people is obvious and I want to help facilitate this process.
I am writing this post to canvas the opinions of Steemians and try to gauge the prospective response from the community. All comments will be greatly appreciated!
I believe in Steemit and I am excited by the opportunity that Steemit brings for economic liberty!
Indonesian Statistics
In 2015 Indonesia had a population of 257.6 million. The capital city Jakarta alone has an estimated population of 10 million people and is the largest city in South East Asia. The UN Human Settlements Program estimates that there are more than 5 million slum dwellers in Greater Jakarta alone!
As Steemit grows the opportunity for a large internal market within Indonesia is phenomenal.
It is my intention to go and live with the most dispossessed of Jakarta's population and gift a laptop and smartphones to 2 intelligent young people. A laptop in Indonesia costs approximately $300 and a smart phone with a good camera can be purchased for $120.
I will spend perhaps one month living and working within the community - with the intention of continuing to assist through Skype and returning regularly throughout the first year.
Steemians Posting From The Slums
As these new Steemit users learn the system they will be able to photograph and blog about their lives and experiences, sharing them with the Steemit community.
I believe they will be able to earn more money from Steemit than would be otherwise possible working minimum wage jobs. This will help to highlight the issues faced by Jakarta's urban poor.
As their profile on Steemit grows the Steemit community will also benefit from greater understanding of the problems faced by some of the poorest people on the planet.
I hope that this project will encourage other Steemit users to do the same in other parts of the world!
Potential Issues & Dangers
There are several immediate issues to overcome with this plan.
The lack of English skills: My initial plan to address this will be to post in two languages: Indonesian and English - by using Google Translate. Having used Google Translate between English and Indonesian I know that the translations are not always accurate. However I believe that the Steemit community will be understanding of this. As their financial independence grows perhaps these new Steemians will be able to afford English lessons!
The process of converting Steem to Bitcoin and then Bitcoin to Indonesian Rupiah: My research has shown that there is a Bitcoin exchange in Jakarta which can facilitate this process.
The potential dangers of increased financial liberty: A sudden abundance of cash can cause problems. There are no shortage of examples where a sudden access to money has lead to drug abuse or other potentially dangerous problems. The only solution is for me to work closely with the community and do my best to choose grounded individuals - hopefully they will act as roll-models for the rest of the community!
The Opportunities
Bringing financial freedom through Steemit will hopefully assist with improving:
- Healthcare
- Education
- Nutrition
- Living conditions
- English language skills
- Lifespan
- Cultural understanding
My hope is that the first 2 new Steemit users I work with will eventually be able to teach another 4 new users - then the opportunity for economic freedom will spread exponentially throughout the community!
Considering that with minimal effort I have been able to earn almost $500 in my first 2 weeks on Steemit, I believe that I can swiftly assist in improving the lives of people who live on $2 a day.
To test this theory today I ran my first training session with a teenage friend of mine who lives in my village here on Bali. Please follow her on @baligirl and show her some support - she is amazing and very intelligent!
Image credit @baligirl
If this initiative is a success I hope that perhaps I can use the income from my posts during my time in Jakarta to start a Steemit restaurant - run as a cooperative by women within the community. However I will have to look into the feasibility of this project once I am on the ground.
Why Do I Want To Do This?
I believe in liberty. When people are struggling just to feed and shelter their children the opportunities for liberty are almost nonexistent. I will be proud to assist in changing this situation and improve liberty through financial freedom. I believe I have the skill-set to do this!
I know this experience will be positive and enjoyable for me. My Indonesian language is not fluent but will suffice for my goals. I look forward to the opportunity to improve my Indonesian through the process of teaching.
I have no fear for my safety as my life experience has shown me that people with less money are often more loving and giving than people with more money. My only vague concern will be staying healthy but I feel confident that I will be able to do this.
Please let me know what you think - I will be most interested to know!
Perhaps I will even start a unique Steemit account to raise money for this project. If this initiative is successful I will be proud to replicate this project in other parts of the developing world. One of this project's best aspects is that all Steemians will be able to share and encourage this process through following these new members.
So here's to financial freedom through Steemit!
I hope that Steeming From The Slums will become a global phenomenon over the coming years! =)
@jockey loves liberty and all of You! =)
All uncredited photos courtesy of Pixabay
Awesome @jockey defiantly worthy!
100% UpVoted, @randowhale UpVoted & Re-steemed! More about the Initiative here...
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blueorgyfor witness!Soon I'll be staying in West Java for three weeks. We land in Jakarta. I won't have the time to introduce Steem, but we'll we doing a great many things locally! I must agree though that knowledge has got to be available to anyone, and a platform such as this is where awareness may begin.
This post received a 4.1% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @ericwoelk! For more information, click here!
This is a fantastic idea. I have sent a donation from the Giving Steem initiative. Spend it as you see fit to help the Indonesians, I only ask that you provide an update on how the funds were spent. Best of luck.
Thank you so very much! I believe in Liberty and that goes hand-in-hand with Transparency! I will always provide full accountability for any donations that are facilitated through @jockey!
You rock!
Followed and upvoted! =)
Love from Bali!
@jockey, Wow! I think this is amazing! There never should have been "poverty" in any country. There never should have been 1st, 2nd, 3rd world countries. We ALL live on this planet and we all have our own ways of living but that shouldn't account for who is better than another. You have my vote! Thank you for creating LOVE!, one person at a time.
Very noble task @jockey
You will be able to help Indonesians a great deal and it will make their lives easier especiallly those who are in deep poverty.
@cryptopie got you a $0.01 @minnowbooster upgoat, nice! (Image: pixabay.com)
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This is a very moving post. I also think we can all kill poverty within our lifetimes!
This is so AMAZING!
What an incredible effort you are going to be putting in to help people improve their desperate lives!
... talk about teaching a man to fish, rather than give him a fish ...
A big upvote and resteemed.
Thank you so much beautiful woman!
We all know how amazing you are and your input is always appreciated! =)
All that is needed to change the situation of our world's poor is a tiny percentage of us to stand up and be proactive.
That is my intention. I am sure my posts from Jakarta's slums will be very informative!
As usual thank you for your support! =) Upvoted!
I was going to post about a similar initiative here where I am at a homeless encampment. Hope it goes well for Jakartans. I know the city and the slums are prone to flooding an myriad other hardships on top of the evident poverty. A chance is a chance.
Yes my friend all we need is a "chance"!
I have lived with the dispossessed in several countries around the world.... I hope I can bring my experience, knowledge and love to Jakarta within the next few months! I know I will make a big difference!
Where are you on this heartbreakingly beautiful planet my friend? I would be most interest to know!
Upvoted and followed! =)
Right by the longest and least protected international border on this planet and about 5 miles away from a massive homeless camp in the forest.
Interesting jockey. Those coins, my god
they do need the help in indonesia.i have been there and i saw how poor they can be.
wagwan !big up .this is very very good
Wagwan indeed my brothaman! Thank you so much! =)
you should also teach them how to make 1000 dollar posts ,lol
So amazing! Im really excited to hear you are moving forward with this and cant wait to see the progress you make. Ill be supporting you with my votes as you go.
Cheers!
A terrific project. Although I have travelled to Jakarta and the English there was of a high quality, though I didn't visit the slums.
Followed, looking forward to seeing how you get on.
Great plan I hope.yoyr travels go well and all your adventure hopes come true!! Humanitarian.
The number one question that needs to be asked when helping foreigners outside of your country is do they have adequate farmland to grow food and if not how can that be improved. Everything else falls by the wayside until that is answered.
The United Nations is a terrific example of an organization that props up little nations to their system just for them to fall harder and worse than ever before.
Indonesia ya Mas?
This is very Bright Move , hope it has big success wish you all the best.
jockey Discrepancy between rich people and those which have nothing is HUGE. Waiting for you next posts to see "real face" of this beautiful country.
If you have a minute, please take a look at my strories about Poland. I'm sure you will like them!
All the best.
bagus banget!!!
Big respect to you man . Deserved upvote and resteem! Will love to see the updates when you have them. Gl!
This is a fantastic initiative and I wish you much success. I don't know how you manage to attract such wealth in a short time and wonder if the people you help will be able to mimic your own success on this platform. I'll need to study what you did because I'm not seeing anywhere near your success. After a month I am not even a minnow yet (still a Redfish in a glass bowl).
I love helping others, but as a redfish I have next to no influence. I need to grow up so I can become more effective. I will follow you so that I can at least cast what little influence I have towards your new recruits.
Good day, I find this topic very interesting and very useful very good that it obtains each of the best moments that are realized during a determined time (1 or 2 days), minus 0,01, outside for the donation of this cause. I leave you a vote, to begin with. regards
Amazing post, I love Indonesia! Keep up the good work!
Hey Jockey. I very much disagree with the violent wording of your post, the use of insulting words like "poor" and "slums" to get attention. FYI: to everyone here, Jockey is actually my neighbour here in Bali-- we've had lots of lively discussions at my coffee table-- Jockey's heart is set on making the world a brighter place-- he is beautiful man, and his eyes sparkle with love, passion and sincerity whether he is meeting you for the first time or having a deep conversation.
That said, Jockey, please be careful with your words. Words are pure power and they craft our reality. By using violent words ("kill") in reference to an ugly reality ("slums"), you don't help our vision of a better world.
Yes, "Poverty" is in important word: it describes a type of violence to our fellow humans. Economic violence.
But does using violence to violence solve anything? Yeah.... I know you're just making a metaphor, and I know you're intention. But words are everything.
I once worked with community centers in Manila in areas of that some call "slums" or the "urban poor". I watched as a troop of Australian missionary teenagers came into to cook and deliver free meals for the week. My colleague, a Filipino priest that I was working with (who had been working and living in the area for 20 years running community programs) watched in barely constrained fury: "They are teaching my people to rely on help, dis-empowering them".
My Filipino colleague could not bear the language that was being used to describe his friends in the community: "Slums" was one of those words. "Poverty" is another such word. By using these words, you are doing another kind of violence: you are denigrating and categorizing the homes and lives of our fellow humans (and soon to be fellow Steemians!). Using these words, is just like casting a spell: it perpetuates and furthers this reality. It separates you from them (the "rich" person, there to "help" the "poor person") and whether you mean it or not, perpetuates the violence of poverty.
But you're totally on to something. Your dream of going to live there in Jakarta, to make your home with a community of folks from a vastly different economic reality is awesomely luminous. So too is your vision of connecting them to Steemit. That's wayyyyy different from handing out cash (your first idea right?) and free meals.
Let's talk more Jockey... I am actually working on something similar with the Ecobrick App development, and thinking of connecting it to Steem.
I love your article
Great initiative !! We need more people like you to make this world better.
It's not gonna be an easy task, but a bit of hard work I am sure that your idea will work and those poor kids will be eternally gratefull
@Jockey I think this is an awesome idea. I lived in Jakarta in 1997 and had to leave the country because of the election riots. I've always wanted to go back because I felt I could make a difference but needed the money to do so. 4 kids later and 20 years and it just didn't happen. I was there during a very interesting time and my life there was an adventure to say the least (will write about it hopefully), I've met some interesting people, some good some bad and some in between. I even hung out with Tommy...yes, that's the one. What was breaking my heart was the huge number of young girls forced into prostitution, I've made friends with some of them and I wish I could have done something then, I think of them often. Your project will help those girls too so I'm very excited that you're doing this. <3 Naturally upvoted and resteemed
Wow, this is a fantastic project. I wish you all the luck in the world getting it started. I will be looking forward to updates on your success.
Bagus sekali!!!
You have my big respect @jockey, that was great idea, I as an Indonesian feel happy and appreciate what you want to do for Indonesia.
WOW! Thats amazingly written. Do post will always support u @jockey
Nice post, very inspiring
When are you going to Jakarta? ... okay we meet there ... if you go to jakarta let me know
... remember no bullshit ... friends :)
Interesting, I wish you well!
@jockey this is a fantastic initiative you are taking part in, i am currently in Indonesia and i speak 4 languages fluently including Indonesian. I can help you in teaching if you are open to collaborating.
Thanks for existing :)
Terima kasih
Very nice
I love to join steemit and to help earh other
#vote and follow you
Do not forget to follow me
Nice project.
that give idea to spread that in other countries as we are travelers.
hello @jockey , let me know if you are already in jakarta im also here . maybe we can work things together .
Do it!
I love it. Keep us posted!
This post received a 4.4% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @thedanzel! For more information, click here!
Follow , Upvote and resteem
upvote this post then comment your post link which you want should I upvote it
If you not following me you should follow me then do it
https://steemit.com/upvote/@crypto-booster/upvoting-started-followers