While some Indonesians marked the Christmas and New Year holidays with travel and leisure, a group of 10 from Jakarta journeyed to Kei Besar Island in Southeast Maluku to bring medical care, learning support, and companionship to remote communities.
The group was led by a married doctor couple, Dr. Angelina Vanessa and Dr. Paulus Lukman, who returned to Kei Besar, where Vanessa once served as a health worker for 12 years, to combine Christmas observances with medical services, educational support, and community outreach.
For some people, the long Christmas and New Year holiday is often a time to return home to visit relatives or to travel to popular destinations such as Bali or even abroad. Christmas and New Year are commonly celebrated in places that offer comfort and leisure.
For the doctor couple and their companions, Christmas 2025 instead became a moment to return to a remote island in Southeast Maluku, a place that is both geographically isolated and costly to reach.
The journey to Kei Besar is far from easy. It requires a three-hour direct flight from Jakarta to Ambon, the capital of Maluku Province, followed by a one-hour flight to Kei Kecil Island and an approximately 2.5-hour sea journey by motorboat to Kei Besar Island.
Program of compassion
To support their activities, the couple invited Father Patrisius Jeujanan, MSC, an indigenous priest from Kei Besar Island, who served as a kind of “guide” for the social compassion program held from December 23 to January 2, 2026.
Because the couple had lived on Kei Besar Island for 12 years, their two children, Heinrich and Vlaurich, also joined the trip. They were accompanied by Sylvia Winnie, a nutritionist who had previously worked on Kei Besar for two years.
The group also included three urban teenagers, for whom the experience proved challenging and far removed from the comfortable and affluent lives they lead in Jakarta and Sydney.
The teenagers were Darren, a university student in Sydney, and Chloe and Elise, students at international schools in Jakarta and Tangerang.
Stepping out of the comfort zone
Father Patrisius Jeujanan invited Ms. Royani Ping from the Bhumiksara Foundation to participate in the social compassion program for remote communities on Kei Besar Island.
“This journey is truly an opportunity to step out of our comfort zone and do something for our fellow citizens in this part of the country, specifically in Southeast Maluku,” said Ms. Ping.
The 10-member group brought donated supplies, including medicines and basic necessities, for children and adolescents assisted by the St. Brigita Learning Center in Bombay Village, Kei Besar, Southeast Maluku.
Working in cooperation with the local community-based organization, the St. Brigitta Learning Center, the group from Jakarta engaged dozens of children and teenagers who regularly attend additional learning activities at the non-formal school.
For high school–level students, Ping, together with Darren, Chloe, and Elise, shared motivation about opportunities to pursue higher education through scholarships.
“Without intervention from outside parties, it is very difficult for them to continue their studies, especially since there are no universities on Kei Besar Island. Like it or not, they have to ‘leave’ the island in order to progress, whether through education or employment,” explained Father Patrisius Jeujanan, MSC.
Christmas healthcare services
Before and after the Christmas Eve Mass and Christmas Day Mass, the doctors provided minor surgical procedures for several patients.
These services were carried out at the local community health center and through free medical treatment at the rectory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Bombay Parish.
While the doctors were performing medical procedures, four volunteers from Jakarta assisted with patient registration, blood pressure checks, and the distribution of medicines.
Asked whether the teenagers felt awkward interacting with people they were meeting for the first time in such a remote area, their responses were direct.
“Not at all,” said Darren, a medical student in Sydney.
“It is very fulfilling to be involved in this humanitarian mission,” said Chloe, who plans to pursue psychology studies abroad at the end of next year.
“This is the best opportunity for me to serve my fellow Indonesians,” added Elise, who aspires to continue her studies in neurological medicine abroad.
For Sylvia Winnie, the activity once again became a moment to reconnect with the people of Kei Besar, whom she described as friendly and open.
“At first I felt worried, but after living here for two years, I actually felt very much at home,” Sylvia shared.
Serving in remote areas
In Indonesia, citizens of Chinese descent are often stigmatized as being indifferent to less fortunate fellow citizens. The visit of Group 10 to Kei Besar Island offered a different picture.
“These islands are so small that they don’t even appear on maps,” said Dr. Angelina Vanessa.
“I myself served on Kei Besar Island thanks to the commitment of DoctorShare, a community of doctors who care deeply about the health of people in remote areas,” added the mother of two.
Group 10 consisted of eight people of Chinese ethnic background, along with two others from Javanese and Maluku backgrounds. Throughout the demanding journey, which required significant costs and energy, a strong sense of cooperation and solidarity among the participants was evident.
For the group, celebrating Christmas on Kei Besar Island became a concrete expression of care for communities living on the country’s outermost islands.
“This is a great gift and grace for all of us here,” said Father Anselmus, MSC, originally from Lembata Island in East Nusa Tenggara, who has been serving in Kei Besar for the past six months.
