THE STORY BEGIN

Gesine (Founder)

Gesine is a German expatriate who has lived and worked in Asia for meanwhile 38 years. She raised her family in Cirebon, Bangkok, Hamburg and Bogor where she lived until 2008. Gesine’s background encompasses social volunteering roles in prisons and orphanages across Thailand and Indonesia. She also established a kindergarten in Bogor which ran for seven years.

Gesine has a passion for working with children, and relished in the company of YCM’s students when her own children grew up. She now lives in Bali with her husband, but visits YCM regularly to continue her hands-on approach. This includes supporting management decisions, assessing building maintenance and student discipline using her eye for detail, and following up with individual students or tutors facing difficult circumstances.

Gesine’s commitment to financial and educational content support keeps YCM alive . As a passionate ‘networker’ and organiser Gesine helps to bring volunteers and visitors to YCM to share their knowledge as well as supporting individual students on their career path.

Putu (Co-Founder)

Putu was born and raised in Bogor city, West Java. Her tough childhood and young age life shaped her into a dreamer. She struggled and motivated herself to overcome the situation and changed her family lives into a better one. When she was in high school, she often passed a mall on the way to go to her school. There, she saw many young people hung out senselessly during the school hours. Most of them were from underprivileged families. She then murmured and chanted the words again and again that someday she would love to have a place where she can work with the underprivileged young people, get to know what are on their mind and influence them to be the dreamers and assist them to achieve their dreams.
Well, the dream Putu had during her high school age was forgotten by the time until someday in 2000, she met Gesine Nitzschke and her family. Putu was a private tutor for Gesine’s children. In 2002, Putu and Gesine started a project initiative called Sarana Bina Ilmu (Sabil). Sabil is the early seed of Yayasan Cipta Mandiri (YCM) and in 2004 YCM legally founded.
Since YCM establishment until now, for more than twenty years Putu and Gesine committed to continue the works. They are witnessing the grow, the changes and conclusive evidence of the metamorphosis of YCM’s youth.

Putu loves to learn from various people and passionate to learn about culture and the philosophy behind things. YCM is her journey, through YCM she is able to keep on doing her three life’s principles:

  1. Learn about everything and from everyone with an open mind.
  2. Always try and do her best for every decision and choices she made, and
  3. Being useful to other people.

Her life’s principles strongly influence her action. She is passionate for learning as well as sharing with everyone. These principles allow her to get along with many people whatever their background, ethnicity, and religion may be.

Collaboration

From the beginning, Putu and Gesine relied on one another to make things happen. Together, they built the foundation from the ground up, and have made it grow and develop ever since. Gesine and Putu believe that knowledge can be sought from anywhere. “Everyone can learn from everyone else,” Gesine says. “It’s not only academics who have knowledge to share.”

They are passionate about the unique and heart warming environment offered by YCM. “The enthusiasm is contagious,” Gesine says. She delights in the experience of sharing ideas and experiences with the students. “I love that the students appreciate anything they receive,” she explains. The philosophy of YCM is a lively mix of Western and Indonesian values, traditions and culture and thus it can be called unique!

Both Gesine and Putu have seen many results in their time at YCM. They are still in contact with alumni who are thankful for their time at YCM. Many past students have now married, have found reliable and fulfilling employment from the opportunities and skills they gained at YCM, which has enabled them to support their families. Some are even working in Bali and abroad nowadays.

Gesine and Putu are often asked why they work so well together when they are from such different backgrounds. The answer lies in their shared values, their religious tolerance and their enjoyment of being around people. As Putu says, “we have a shared respect for all human beings, and a shared focus on humanity.” This is the motivation that has driven their success of YCM.

Thorsten Nitzschke

(Retired business man, sponsor and regular inspirational coach in YCM)

It is a sad matter of fact that in Indonesia a large percentage of kids are still growing up in families that make a living on barely more than a few Dollars per day. One logical consequence is a lack of education for their children as it is simply not affordable for many. That’s why the parents of these children often see no other option than to take their offspring out of school as early as possible so that they can contribute a little to the family income.

At an early age these kids often times lose hope that their lives could be any different from what they see in their families and neighbourhoods. While in their teens many surrender any hope for an adult life beyond lowly paid jobs and poverty. No wonder that many teens hang out senselessly nowadays and a growing number become street thugs, fall pray to drugs and in extreme cases are recruited by religious fanatics.

YCM offers a real opportunity to break out of this vicious circle. The stories of numerous YCM alumni provide evidence that “history must not equal destiny”. We have seen countless times so much hidden talent and creativity in these kids. They deserve a better future and the inspiring surrounding of YCM is helping to bring it to light. I am very happy that I can be part of this process. The results we frequently see are heart-warming and the most satisfying reward I could think of.