Charity for Catholic Single Moms raise money for needy in Indonesia

YANA, an acronym for "You Are Not Alone," is a Catholic single-mom categorical community founded in Indonesia on February 6, 2015.

Helena Rahayu, the founder of the YANA Community, stated that she and three of her friends, Fanny Rahmasari, Rita Wijaya, and Rosari Ananta, met with Father Hibertus Hartono and discussed the idea.

They agreed to start a YANA group, which became a place for Catholic single mothers to come together, integrate, and serve.

Rahayu explained that they would no longer feel isolated by founding the YANA group since they would meet other Catholic single mothers.

According to Rahayu, the YANA community's principal purpose is to provide a support system for Catholic single mothers to help them develop into individuals of faith, dignity, and readiness to be a light for others.

Rahayu explained that its mission is to "develop and strengthen its members' Catholic faith through monthly debriefing activities and continual spiritual nutrition."

To assist individuals in spiritual development, "YANA aims to educate individuals about their faith through spiritual seminars, to preach, and reminiscing," Rahayu explains.

"YANA's mission also includes retreats, Eucharistic celebrations, and self-motivated courses," Rahayu said.

Rahayu says that as a lay Catholic women's club, the YANA community helps its members grow spiritually and psychologically and personal development, parenting, money, and health.

Rahayu noted that, in keeping with its vision and mission, the founding of the YANA community aims to alleviate single moms' feelings of isolation, even though they live alone without a partner in terms of status and reality.

Rahayu feels that single mother Catholics may grow and develop collectively to become better individuals.

Since its inception, the YANA community has grown year after year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 248 formal members and thousands more followers.

According to Rahayu, YANA's membership spans several major cities in Indonesia.

Rahayu said that the YANA community came up with many faith-based programs during the pandemic, like webinars and talk shows streamed live to thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people through the YANA YouTube Channel.

Rahayu says that "this is proof that God is working in this group to help other YANA groups."

YANA's Humanitarian Mission is “1000 Loves from YANA"

The YANA community not only has a mission for single mom members, but it also does a lot of good for other people.

Rahayu shared that YANA has undertaken numerous social missions on behalf of the needy. 

She called the charitable activity "1000 Loves from YANA" to help the small, weak, poor, oppressed, and disabled.

Over 1,000 mini-tumpeng rice packets for orphanages were distributed as a token of appreciation for the YANA Community's seven-year journey.

Rahayu stated that the YANA community had done numerous good deeds in the last five years for those impacted by floods and natural catastrophes, jails (most notably the Women's Correctional Institution), orphanages, and the elderly.

Additionally, YANA offers a program called "My Mother's Love." Several churches and stations in Indonesia that don't already have a Maria cave are now part of a project to build one in places where they should be.

The program, said Rahayu, was launched at the YANA Conference on November 6, 2021.

Rahayu said there are already three parishes in three dioceses that have started constructing Maria's cave after receiving assistance from the YANA Community.

The YANA community can be proud because, since its establishment, many YANA members have started to be brave and have the confidence to serve, both internally and externally.

Rahayu also said that many YANA members have been brave enough to serve in the Catholic community as protodeacons, psalmists, catechists, and facilitators in their parishes without feeling like they aren't good enough.

Many YANA members have grown up as pulpit preachers or teachers and have become administrators of prayer fellowships and leaders of organizations.

Rahayu said that "essentially, they dare to say that she is a Catholic single mom who is blessed and ready to serve to bless others."

A place like YANA, said Father Alexander Erwin Santoso, chair of Family Apostolate Commission of Archdiocese of Jakarta, is great to share and encourage.

The members, said Father Santoso, can face their daily life with more enthusiasm because they feel comfortable.

Rahayau hopes that "if you are a single Catholic mom, or you know a single Catholic mom, tell them they are not alone."

She invites single moms who are Catholics to join the YANA community.

She thinks that the people in the YANA group will help them get through difficult times in their lives because of the death of their husbands or divorce.

Only in the YANA community can Catholic single moms meet other Catholic single moms who have similar experiences.

“They can be themselves and not feel judged,” she concluded.