Binus International, Rachel House team up for ‘The Living Wall’
Ni Nyoman Wira
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta | Sat, October 20, 2018 | 08:06 pm
Rachel House’s The Living Wall board seen at the celebration of the foundation’s 11th anniversary at Cilandak Town Square (CITOS), South Jakarta. (rachel-house.org/File)
If you only had one more day to live, what would you do?
You can write down your answers on a 5.76 square meter board at Binus University International on the sixth floor of fX Sudirman, Central Jakarta. Open to the public, it is available for 11 days from Oct. 16 to 26.
Dubbed The Living Wall, it is a collaboration between Binus University International’s student clubs and the Rachel House Foundation, which provides palliative care for children suffering from chronic illnesses, such as cancer and HIV AIDS.
The Living Wall at Binus University International on the the sixth floor of fX Sudirman, Central Jakarta. (Binus University International/Yosephine Claudia Chandra)
“[The foundation’s] palliative care focuses on reducing the children’s pain, especially those coming from underprivileged families where they’re less capable of getting treatment,” Amanda, one of the Communication students who initiated the event, told The Jakarta Post. “We’re trying to make their last days happier, so they won’t view death as something horrible.”
The project leader and student Yosephine said, “At least they’re not in pain when they pass away. They can be treated at home surrounded by their parents and loved ones, so they won’t be in the hospital all the time.”
At first, Yosephine, Amanda and fellow students Zahra and Nazira were interested in volunteering at Rachel House, but then they decided to hold The Living Wall exhibition. Their campus held a similar event a few years ago but sticky-notes were used at that time to share people’s answers instead of the board.
“We want to enhance people’s experience by using a real board,” said Nazira, adding that the challenge was moving the board up to the sixth floor. “We want this to be something inspiring for people – something to learn from.”
Four Binus University International students behind ‘The Living Wall’ project at their campus; Nazira Muqthadi (above left), Yosephine Claudia Chandra (above right), Amanda Lydia (below left) and Zahra Fortuna (below right) at The Jakarta Post studio on Oct. 11. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
Those who are interested in understanding more about palliative care are welcome to join the event. There will be a talk show on the opening day and poetry night on the last day. Information about how to donate and volunteer are available throughout the event as well.
Aiming to raise awareness of palliative care, The Living Wall is part of the Rachel House Foundation’s program. Back in 2017, it celebrated its 11th anniversary with five giant boards in Cilandak Town Square (CITOS), South Jakarta, where around 1,600 people wrote on the boards. The foundation also displayed stories about children who were receiving palliative care at that time.
Founded in 2006, the foundation provides home-based palliative care where it treats children whose cancer medication is no longer viable or whose HIV AIDS infections are chronic. (mut)
