Northern Corridor Character Assessment Program : Journal Part IV

We ended the first batch of the character assessments with a Big Bang!!! The kids had fun and as they went back to their homes and as the day ended and we, we prepared for the next batch of 60 new young participants who would be going through the same routine as those leaving.

At the end of the 6 Day Evaluation Sessions, we had to finally make a decision about who will be going to the next level of the evaluation process and who’s journey would end immediately after that.

Not an easy decision to be made after hearing some of the stories from these children and the NCIA staff.


· Some of them have not eaten chicken for years…

· Some of them are so poor that they can’t even afford to have a proper meals, the only dish with rice was “salted fish and kicap manis” (dried fish in sweetened soya sauce) almost everyday…

· Some of the parents even begged the NCIA to allow their kids to continue the program…

· Some have been sleeping on the floor and has never experienced the comfort of a mattress…

· Some have been told over and over again by the people around them that they are not good enough…


And here we are complaining about how life sucks when others are struggling to make ends meet.

Three things that I have personally learned:
· That beyond all the breakdowns, misery and failure that this kids have, they are always excited and enthusiastic about their life future and possibilities … When was the last time we did that instead of complaining and blaming about every single damn thing?

· They never complain, every time they fall, they cry, they fight for a while then they learn and they move forward…

· When you contribute… You’ll get more then you can expect…