Jemmy Talakua

Galleries

Starting Point

What started as a community of youths concerned with education became a flourishing foundation that strives to promote Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in Ambon. Six years after its initial emergence, Jemmy Talakua formalised Yayasan Rumah Generasi in 2019. During its embryonic phase, the volunteers provided self-help community services to teachers and students in remote schools. These activities provided the basis for the foundation’s network, which has proven to be helpful in recent years.

Yayasan Rumah Generasi advocates for GEDSI mainly through education, which is complemented by health and technology interventions. The foundation aims to develop a communal safe space to support human development. The people of Yayasan Rumah Generasi work alongside the government to ensure the implementation of gender-responsive policies, all while fostering marginalised communities and schools for people with disabilities to thrive. 

Peace Journey

Together with Yayasan Bakti, Yayasan Rumah Generasi is now a proud beneficiary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) INKLUSI programme. This programme intends to empower marginalised and vulnerable groups within the community, and it chooses to prioritise children with disabilities. It provides supporting devices, school uniforms, learning tools, and various others in tandem with education on reproductive rights and sexual health in schools for students with disabilities.

Yayasan Rumah Generasi helmed the Body Talk Programme, an initiative aimed at destigmatising people with leprosy and providing them with proper healthcare services. It also installed policy clinics to promote gender mainstreaming in policies and the regional fund budget. In cooperation with SKALA, it trained the local government officials in creating gender analysis, a much-needed act since the officials were initially sceptical of a gender perspective.

Success Stories

Jemmy Talakua stated that, as a male activist working for women and children, he assumes the role of mediator when a crisis arises within the women's activist community. He also acknowledged the importance of men positioning themselves as allies for women. Jemmy and fellow activists expressed their hope to build a union for women and children activists in Ambon to collaborate and consolidate. 

Yayasan Rumah Generasi operates efficiently in organising learning activities for students with disabilities. For example, when it offered a networking opportunity to the Ambon City Library, Jemmy and Yunita, his fellow Yayasan Rumah Generasi members, quickly arranged a library visit for the students within a week. The activity involved youth from elementary to high school ages visiting the library and enjoying the learning tools provided there.