Dream WARPIN

An idea sometimes emerges from necessity. At that time, I had just graduated from university. As I had no regular activities yet, I started submitting job applications to several institutions. I pursued them one by one, from days to weeks, and almost two years passed, but still, not a single call came. I tried everything from test preparation centers, corporate offices, schools, to government agencies, but luck was not on my side. One afternoon, I was going through my old lecture notes from college. I stopped at a brochure advertising an internet cafe (warnet), which read “use 4 hours, get 1 hour free.” This reminded me of earlier times when, before warnets became popular, there were also wartels (“warung telekomunikasi” – telecommunication stalls). Since mobile phones became popular, wartels seemed to lose their customers. On the other hand, warnets were gaining popularity. What else would emerge after the warnet era, I wondered… I don't know… What if I built a new community through a smart stall? Realizing that education is becoming increasingly expensive, while all information is becoming more easily accessible. Meanwhile, learning materials in schools are also becoming more complex. Students are constantly rushing to complete assignments every day, even though information for solving these tasks often confuses them. Teachers demand student independence, assuming everything can be learned via the internet. Tutoring at private learning centers (bimbel) is also becoming more expensive, competitive, and widespread. It must also be acknowledged that some bimbel institutions merely gather children as if they are learning, and the tutors only deliver material to meet their financial targets. Not much different from the process in schools. As a result, students become increasingly bored, confused, and eventually stressed. As a former student, I actually saw this phenomenon as a challenge, but I didn't have enough energy to do something about it. On the other hand, I had to live my life with all its challenges and problems, including economic needs that I couldn't avoid. So, to make ends meet, I eventually rented a small house, 4 x 8 meters, on Jl. Medan Lubuk Pakam, a somewhat dilapidated building standing by the provincial highway in North Sumatra (SUMUT). Initially, I used this building to open a massage practice, just like my other visually impaired colleagues did. While waiting for patients, which felt like waiting for nothing, I learned to make brooms and mops. In reality, that work didn't yield satisfactory results. One day, my neighbor brought two high school students, let's call them Del and Nenci. According to my neighbor, they needed help with an English interview school assignment, where they would act as TV presenters and I would be the interviewee/resource person. My neighbor brought them to me because she knew I was an English literature graduate and now taught English at a private special needs school (SLB). It was from there that I tried to start a business, beginning to build WARPIN. This venture was built with the concept of opening a communication medium for students who wanted to complete assignments cheaply, easily, and through interactive dialogue or group discussions. They could come directly or simply contact via phone. Regarding fees, it was voluntary; if via phone, they could transfer to an account or simply top up my phone credit. Membership could be registered for subscription or as a casual member. If they didn't have money, they wouldn't be forced to pay. Initially, I promoted my phone number in several local newspapers with the message: 'Student consultant, confused about school assignments (Elementary, Junior High, Senior High, and Vocational High School)? Call no xxxx'. From that day on, I started receiving frequent calls from students in our area, North Sumatra (SUMUT), ranging from homework discussions to personal problems, family issues, and even romance. If they didn't feel their issues were resolved through phone conversations, they would usually come directly to my home for a face-to-face discussion. Upon meeting, my clients were often surprised because they met a young man who was blind. However, I quickly dispelled their doubts with my usual warm greeting. During the discussion process, I used a friendly approach. So they wouldn't feel awkward, as they didn't feel lectured or controlled. On the other hand, I also received calls from parents of students who were having problems with their children, ranging from truancy and being difficult to manage, to simply asking for tips on guiding teenagers. Six months later, I started encountering challenges with my business because the students' assignments varied widely, from math, English, German, writing scientific papers, and so on. Financially, I didn't set a fixed fee for each consultation. However, the operational needs of my business were very pressing at that time. In the next phase, I visited my former university and invited several students from various disciplines to become volunteers at the WARPIN I was running. As a result, within a short time, dozens of students were willing to volunteer at my WARPIN. To date, we are entering our fifth year and have a monthly turnover of 10 to 15 million Rupiah. We also built an e-library at home for students' assignment references, with materials sourced from various websites on the internet. This convenience is thanks to the free hotspot available in the special needs school (SLB) where I work. To date, we have collected almost 10,000 e-book titles on a computer in our WARPIN. Hopefully, in the future, we can spread this initiative to other regions.