Our Mission
Our mission is to offer underprivileged children educational opportunities as a way to alleviate wide socio-economic disparities in Indonesia. We provide:

We achieve the organizational mission through raising awareness of the issue of inequality in access to formal education in Indonesia and finding creative ways to raise funds to support our program.

Who We Are
We are a community-powered organization driven by a vision of a world where children have equal access to education, regardless otheir ethnic, religious, social or economic backgrounds. Our work is supported by individuals and organizations that share our vision of a brighter future through education.

The name CERDAS is Indonesian for "intelligent" and is used to describe a sharp mind. It reflects the inspiration behind the organization - intelligent young minds that represents our hopes of a better tomorrow.

Our History
In 2001, some members of the Indonesian Muslim Community in Seattle came together to address the dire issue of economically disadvantaged students in Indonesia dropping out of school.

Although the Indonesian government has in recent years renewed its commitment to education, many challenges remain. Public school tuition is not free. That puts education beyond the reach of many poor children. Even if their families find a way to pay for tuition, other school related expenses like supplies make education simply unaffordable for these unfortunate children. Our initial goal was modest: to help pay for the elementary school tuition fees and cost of school supplies for 2 students in Subang, West Java. In the years that followed, we have been able to significantly increase the number of beneficiaries in our program. We are currently funding the education of 80 children from elementary to high school in various parts of Indonesia.

We have since acquired 501(c)3 status. As an all-volunteer organization, 100% of every dollar donated goes toward accomplishing our mission. Every year, we continue to do our part in making more and more dreams come true. Our goal now is to fund the education of 200 students.

Check our blog for the latest news and events!

Donate
The support of the community has been instrumental to the success of our first year. It has enabled us to offer scholarships to 80 children from elementary to high school levels in Indonesia. 9 volunteer Coordinators administer this exciting new program. The response from the public has been both encouraging and overwhelming. Due to staggering demand, we have many children from disadvantaged homes on a growing waitlist. Our goal now is to accept 120 additional applications to bring the total number of scholarships to 200.

It is only through the generous donations of individuals and organizations that we are able to achieve these significant milestones. We need your continued support to further our vision of a brighter future through education. Donate to this important cause. Help us keep these deserving children in school and offer yet more the chance of a brighter future. Children represent our hopes and dreams. They are our future.

Paypal
We now accept donation through Paypal

Checks
Please make your check payable to CERDAS Foundation.

Mail to:
4059 NE 55th St
Seattle, WA 98105