The 2018 BNEC Social Event “Shaping Our Diamonds” Final Day

Indonesia is one of the countries that signed up the Convention on the Rights of the Child. There are four core principles of the convention, and two of them are non-discrimination, and the right to live, survive and develop. Automatically, 8.3 million children with Down syndrome in Indonesia deserve all rights mentioned above.

BNEC conducts a social event annually, aiming for the same goal – to develop and empower the society. This year, BNEC focused on helping the children with Down syndrome through free therapy, English fun learning, and campaign. Since March 2018, the committees had prepared the event with enthusiasm, hoping that they could make a better life for the children.

Five days of visiting day had passed and we finally wrapped up the social event with the final day. The final day was conducted on July 1, 2018 at Pejaten Village. In the final day, we appreciated their extra traits and talent by holding a talent showcase. We invited the children, their parents, and many institutions related to children with Down syndrome’s development, such as Yayasan Cinta Harapan Indonesia, Persatuan Orang Tua Down Syndrome, Yayasan Sayap Ibu Bintaro, and Yayasan Peduli Kasih ABK.

In the talent showcase, the children showed their talents, such as dancing, playing keyboard, and many more. We wanted to show the great potential that the children with Down syndrome have to the public. The crowd was cheering to the brave and confident talents.

Besides talent showcase, there was also a talk show with Kemal Avicenna as the guest star. He is one of the most talented children with Down syndrome, he represented Indonesia in Special Olympics Asia Pacific Regional Games 2013 and won the gold medal. Kemal and his mom encouraged all the parents to keep on developing their children, because it’s not about being a champion, but having the courage to try.

Every journey has its own end, but we hope that the spirit stays inside everyone who participated in the event. We also hope that all values and awareness of children with Down syndrome that we shared to the public can keep existing and being shared continuously. “Thanks to all the children’s parents and the institutions for letting us share what we are capable to give to the children. I hope that with this event, the children will be more courageous in pursuing their dreams. I believe that children with Down syndrome are like diamonds waiting to be sharpened and waiting for its time to shine,” said Riska, the Project Manager of the 2018 BNEC Social Event in her speech.