naomi@heliconiascholarshipfoundation.org

My name is Naomi. I met Mili in 2008 in our small church community. When Mili told me about the Heliconia Scholarship Foundation, I was glad to help. In the beginning I only helped Mili occasionally, but now that the foundation is growing, I take on more responsibilities and have become the official cooperation partner since 2018. I very much appreciate what the foundation does for my people in Indonesia. Most charities only provide scholarships for primary and secondary education, so I’m happy that the Heliconia Scholarship Foundation helps Indonesian youngsters from shelters with their university education. I’m looking forward to seeing the foundation grow more in the future and also make it an official charity in Indonesia, so that we can find donors here as well. I’m proud to be part of it!

Naomi is our Head of Student Affairs. She has worked as a volunteer for our foundation since 2012 and has become our first full-time employee in December 2019. She is responsible for the selection and guidance of students in Indonesia. Students go to her for support and payment of their tuition fees. Naomi also makes sure that our students stay on track with their studies and hand in their progress reports on time. In addition, she upkeeps our administration in Indonesia and writes news reports for our social media and website.

Naomi studied Communication at the Universitas Persada Indonesia in Jakarta and graduated with her Master’s Degree in 2014. She was the only one to study in her family, since there were no funds for her siblings to go to university. She therefore knows exactly what challenges youngsters face in accessing tertiary education and where the needs of students lie. Naomi works together with Mili Chana, our other partner in the field. Naomi and Mili have weekly contact with the board in the Netherlands.