TANIMBAR ISLAND (June 27, 2024) - From a distance, her unpretentious eyes watched the active movements of dozens of children around her. Occasionally, her hand drew ink from a ballpoint pen, marking the list of children's names that she carried. In another corner, there was a shout from the mouth of one of the children, "Sister, we're still a long way home," which was greeted with a smile as she calmed the child. The children called her Sister Yohana. Sister Yohana brought the special children to the Regent's Hall as participants in the Social Service organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs on Wednesday (26/6).

Sister Yohana (44) is named Sr. Yohana Eko, ALMA. More than half of her life, which is 23 years, is dedicated to serving an orphanage called Bhakti Luhur Saumlaki Orphanage, Tanimbar. Sister Yohana is currently the head of the orphanage. Bhakti Luhur Saumlaki Orphanage was established in 1962, and in 2001, Sister Yohana joined the orphanage's management. The vision of the orphanage is "reaching the unreachable." Bhakti Luhur Saumlaki Orphanage has three missions: charity, education, and health. "We not only accommodate, but also rehabilitate," Yohana explained.

Bhakti Luhur Saumlaki Orphanage receives services for children, especially children with disabilities who are poor, neglected, and marginalized. Generally, when the disability is caused by physical, psychological, mental, or socioeconomic and has an impact on retardation in development, then this is where the role of the orphanage led by Sister Yohana comes in to reach it.

The beneficiaries at the Bhakti Luhur Orphanage range in age from the youngest being five months old to the oldest being 46 years old. A special school (SLB) also has elementary to high school education levels. Each classroom contains eight students and is divided into majors, namely the blind, speech impaired, mentally disabled, physically disabled, and autistic. There are 15 teachers who are trained in handling each of the children's unique needs. "From junior high school to high school, we equip them with vocational skills according to their needs," Yohana explained.

Sister Yohana's presence with dozens of children with special needs at the Regent's Hall was intended because there would be a handover of assistance by Social Minister Tri Rismaharini, namely wheelchairs, crutches, and hearing aids. This activity is one of a series of events held at the Social Service Summit in Tanimbar Islands Regency, Maluku Province.

Furthermore, Sister Yohana mentioned that often, parents out there still consider the condition of special needs experienced by their children as something that cannot be done anymore and tend to resign themselves to the condition, often even considering it a burden. However, through the orphanage she leads, Sister Yohana repeatedly provides an understanding that if we are observant, special children can develop potential. An example is Modesta Angwar Mase (17), a national running champion in Makassar 2017.

Sister Yohana tried to provide a new perspective, that special children, initially considered a burden by their parents, could one day become a pride. This perspective makes us realize that special conditions are a special gift to God's chosen people because everyone has the right to succeed, including the children with special needs cared for by Sister Yohana. Sister Yohana's presence in Tanimbar as an observer of children with special needs is like a lamp in the darkness of the night, guarding a ray of hope for special children in the Eastern corner of Indonesia.