Laurencia Ika Wahyuningrum, Uncompromised Love for Special-Needs Children

Laurencia Ika Wahyuningrum pleaded with people to discriminate disabled children, instead giving these talented children a chance to empower themselves for their future.

KOMPAS/RUNIK SRI ASTUTI

Laurencia Ika Wahyuningrum

The terrible fire that razed her school could have left Laurencia Ika Wahyuningrum (46) giving up on her humanitarian outreach if not for her exceptionally great love for children with special needs. It was the power of love that called her conscience to continue to walk the dream she has been harboring, and foster entrepreneurial hopes for the sake of the children's empowerment.

Students began to arrive at the entrance gate of Cita Hati Bunda School into the classrooms, in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Tuesday morning (2/5/2023). Some came late, but they looked generally excited. It was the first day of school after a two-week-long Idul Fitri holiday. The teachers welcomed them in an amicable manner. The children seemed to be struggling to shake off the holidays with them falling into a tantrum of sulking, whining or crying.