A Mother's Love

“A mother’s love is the fuel that enables a human being to do the impossible” – C. Garretty

The bond that a mother and her baby share is something profound. Something that expands limitless depths and rises to insurmountable heights. It is endless and enduring.

This type of love is pure. It’s heavenly. It’s unadulterated.

It is unapologetically real.

It could be the most beautiful thing on this planet. It’s a mother’s love.

Beberly de Leon embodies this love. She is a mother to her two-year-old son Tzen; her greatest and most precious joy.

From Panajachel in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, Beberly was beyond surprised to find out that she was soon to be a mother after being told that a series of health problems had left her sterile and unable to conceive. Tzen was to be born in a matter of months; the miracle she thought was impossible.

“I named him Tzen Florian. Tzen comes from the Maya Mam word ‘nTzen,’ which means smiling one. Florian is derived from the Spanish word for flower and means pure beauty and magic that brings joy to everybody… This is exactly what Tzen means to me,” shared Beberly.

Beberly, who has undocumented Indigenous heritage, has always had a strong relationship with the world around her. To the birds and the trees, to the food we produce and feed our bodies, to the happiness of her people near and far.

To the health and wellbeing of Mother Earth.

She is an activist for justice and a talented creative, who is deeply passionate about art, photography and dance. She has recently discovered Nritya yoga, otherwise known as ‘yoga of dance,’ and has combined elements of theatre with the practice to unite people and encourage expression. 

Tomorrow Today

Two women – both ardently committed to bringing hope to those forcibly made hopeless – have returned time and time again to Bogor, a city 60km south of Jakarta in Indonesia, to hear the real stories. Not the stories which trickle through our mainstream media channels with filters and agendas, but the actual on-the-ground stories of the people living a life in limbo.

Bogor is a hub for some 3,000 refugees and asylum seekers who have fled danger in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Approximately 500 are children and youth.

While families wait to hear of their application status - which can often take up to several years - life is put on pause. Everything comes to a complete stop. With no rights to work or access education, families live in very basic conditions with no certainty regarding their future on a day-to-day basis.

Meet Laura O’Neill and Julia Frei from Australia who have worked extensively with displaced people over the last decade all around the world. Connected not only by their passion, but their deep compassion for refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia, Laura and Julia are raising essential funds to establish a learning centre in the area of Cisarua for the displaced children and youth of Bogor.

I speak with Laura who shares why her and Julia are devoted to their project.

But before we begin, take a moment to watch this video Tomorrow Today. Meet the people of Bogor.

Laura, can you explain to me the situation for refugees and asylum seekers who find themselves in Indonesia? What rights – or more accurately, lack of rights - do they have access to? What is life like on-the-ground?

“Many asylum seekers have traditionally come to Indonesia with the intention to find a people smuggler to aid their journey to Australia by boat. Since the introduction of the current government's deterrence policy, many individuals and families are no longer choosing to take this journey. Therefore, thousands of asylum seekers are waiting in Indonesia for their refugee status determination outcomes. During this waiting period, adults are unable to work which means that it is incredibly difficult for people to support themselves and their families. Children do not attend local school and spend their days without purpose in small rented rooms.”

I know you have both have recently visited Bogor to meet families who have been displaced from their homelands. Tell me, what took you to Bogor?

“I first went to the Bogor area because I knew this area is a migration hub where many asylum seekers lived. After arriving to Jakarta, I met a young Hazara man who invited me into his community. I was a total stranger to these people yet I was hosted in absolute warmth and hospitality, sharing food, shelter, stories and tears with individuals, families and children. Their situation and stories moved me deeply and since then, Julia and I have both returned a number of times to develop our project – a learning centre for children in the area known as Cisarua - so we can find ways to give back to these people who deserve so much more.”

During your conversations with the community, what stories were shared? What were you shocked to learn?

“I learnt a lot about people who have been displaced from their homelands. People, who like you and me, have tapestries of history and dreams for their futures. I heard stories that force people to flee from war, terror, kidnappings, bomb blasts, persecutions, missing family members and the heartache of often leaving alone and carrying a burden of worry for the wellbeing and safety of remaining relatives.”