Rachael Fulton – What do you do when a child's face appears at your car window begging for money? Do you turn up the radio and stare straight ahead, or open the window a crack and hand over a few thousand rupiah?

Sim Sim, a coordinator at the Prumpung, East Jakarta, branch of Sahabat Anak (Children's Friend), would encourage you to do neither if you truly want to help these marginalized children. Here, she tells us about the dangers that street kids face and what we can do to improve their lives.

Why do you think places like Sahabat Anak are vital to Jakarta?

As a result of the city's social problems and the number of impoverished people here, there is a massive population of street children in Jakarta.

Street kids tend to have a beggar mentality and often fall victim to a life of crime if nothing is done to help them. Charities like Sahabat Anak take these kids off the street and offer them an alternative way to live their lives.

What do you mean when you say 'alternative'?

Street children lose out on a chance to have a decent childhood. Kids are supposed to have a home, go to school and live with their family rather than work on the street.

Living on the street decreases children's sense of self-worth and makes them believe that there is no world other than the hardships of life on the street. This is something we aim to change.

How dangerous is it for these kids to be living on the streets?

They face all manner of risks. They can easily become victims of crime and abuse at the hands of adults and older street kids. Sometimes they are preyed upon by mafia groups who force them to work, and children who spend their days and nights on the streets risk being sexually abused by people who take advantage of their vulnerability.

Tell us a little bit more about Sahabat Anak?

Our main objective is to provide education to street children by giving them free lessons in eight different areas of Jakarta. These free sessions can be as simple as helping them with their homework if they are still in school or teaching them through games and fun activities.

We have classes in English, music and art, to name a few subject. Our other objective is simply to befriend marginalized children so that they can build trust and self-esteem.

How do you keep the kids interested? What incentives do the kids have to keep coming back week after week?

We don't give them any incentives. At first, it was a little difficult to encourage them to play and study with us. Nowadays, we don't have that problem because they are eager to learn.

They come to the 'study house,' read books in the library and play while studying with the kakak-kakak, our volunteers. We just provide them with things they need to study.

After lessons, we give the kids something nutritious, like vitamins or hot milk, things their parents cannot afford to give them. Could we call that an incentive? Perhaps loving and caring for them is the true incentive.

Tell us an inspirational story from Sahabat Anak Prumpung.

Over the last three years, some of Sahabat Anak Prumpung's teenagers have begun to get involved in our teaching programs and have even helped to create new programs for the study house.

These teenagers were among the youngsters taught by the volunteers when Sahabat Anak Prumpung first opened. Seeing them now, involved in teaching, caring for the little ones and becoming real volunteers is such an unexpected achievement.

It's inspirational because the youngsters are learning to become self-reliant and independent, and hopefully in the future they will be able to manage the programs themselves without much help from outsiders.

Any other projects besides this one in Prumpung?

There are similar schemes in Grogol, Cijantung, Gambir, Manggarai, Tanah Abang and Mangga Dua.

Some of the classes are held in open spaces near railway lines or under bridges because the children in these areas are homeless and there is nowhere else to teach them.

How has your work with the street children affected you as an individual? Do you think it has changed you as a person?

It's affected me in ways that I never could have predicted.

Simply from the way the children respect and obey their parents despite the treatment their families sometimes subject them to, and from how grateful they are for the little that they have... it has changed the way I see things and has made me appreciate my life more.

It's a privilege to have the opportunity to learn from these amazing children and my life has changed as a result of them.

Do you have advice for anyone wanting to help street children?

Make sure you give support in the right way. If you want to support them financially, don't spoil them. Money is what forces them onto the street, so giving them money directly is often counterproductive.

Emotional support is often more valuable than financial support.

Find a local organization or community that can be the bridge between you and the kids so that you can truly give them the help they need.

This can be through donations to the charity or through hands-on volunteering. If you want to join Sahabat Anak or a similar organization, you will be welcomed. Break the negative view you once had of street kids and become their friends.