IDOLS - Young scavengers portray their hero's

Like all children in the world, children from the garbage belt Bantar Gebang in Indonesia dream about what they would like to be later. They all have their idols, like pop musician Krisdayanti, soap star Jihan Fahira and tv-celebrity Eko Patrio for instance.

Bantar Gebang is Indonesiaís biggest dumpsite - there are 1550 households living here, trying to earn a meagre income from selecting and selling useful bits of garbage. 20 young teenagers from this dumpsite will have part of their dream come true..they will meet their idols and portray them with pen and camera. The childrenís photographs and stories will be combined with the stories and photographs of a professional photographer who will train the children and accompany them when they meet their idol.

The objective of the Idols project is manyfold. The project aims to broaden the horizon of these young scavengers, offer them an important moment of joy, introduce them to the art of photography and journalism and encourage them to gain confidence in their capabilities. The project also wants to produce a fine piece of educational art (exhibition, book) for JakArt in order to sensitize both the idols and the broader public for the fate of young scavengers as well as generate funds for the children living on the garbage belt.

The project is initiated by the Homeless World Foundation in collaboration with JakArt, the Arts and Culture festival in Jakarta. Moments of Joy is raising € 1500,- to pay for the first part of the project: the costs of things like films, batteries and developing photos, training and transport of the children, snacks, drinks and dinners at McDonalds. This way, for € 1500, 20 children will have a dream come true.