Generate Income & Hope From Non-Recyclable Garbage

Aminah is one of the Angels at Cirendeu garbage dump. She was born in Jakarta on 19^th August 1983. Her parents have 6 children, both already passed away. Aminah went to school until SMK (Vocational School), she wanted to continue her education but her parents being a trash picker did not have money to pay her further education.  

 After finishing her school she worked at various shops as a sales person for the next 8 years. With limited education, she cannot advance her career and she has to work many hours and also weekends. She had to stop working because she got sick.

 She got married, had kids, and then opened a small warung (small shop) while taking care of her children.

 “I was never interested in sewing, but I was so disappointed when I asked my neighbor who can sew but she did not want to take my order.

That gave me the interest to learn how to sew so I don’t have to depend on other people when I need something that needs to be sewn.

 “I was so glad that XSProject offered the women at the community opportunity to learn a new skill. I took it without hesitation, plus my youngest child now is already at Pre Grade 1, and goes to school 3 times a week. I now have more time to improve myself, while my son is at school.

 “My goal of learning to sew is so that I can make clothes for myself and my kids and I can fix any clothes that need to be repaired, and maybe that I can also help other sewers if they need help.

 “Of course, I would love to have my own sewing business, so I can take orders and can earn extra income so I can help my husband earn more money.  It would be nice to have my own sewing business at home, so I can work but also still can take care of my family but I would also want to help other moms at the community by teaching them what I have learned, so other moms at the community can also learn new skills.

 “Without the help form XSProject I would not be able to sew now. “

 Your donation to XSProject through GlobalGiving will have a direct impact on making this happen. XSProject can provide many more women with micro finance loans, or just to improve their skills so that they can do something for themselves. Poverty could be just a lack of opportunity. This is the way to go towards self-sufficiency and a sustainable income. We hope you will continue to support our work and you are making the difference for them.

The school year ended in May for the students at United World College South East Asia (UWCSEA) in Singapore. So early in June, six young men who just finished the 11^th grade, made a trip to XSProject in Jakarta. What started out being a project to deliver school supplies and discarded banners for make new products, turned out to be something quite extraordinary.

Jakarta Street Kids is a UWCSEA service club that raises money for non-profits in Jakarta that support the educational needs of the poor. XSProject and Jakarta Street Kids have partnered for several years. They also sponsor 17 students in the XSEducation program.

On the first day of their visit, General Manager, Retno Hapsari took them to the Cirendeu open garbage dump where XSProject works. While walking through the community, they stopped at the house of Oman and his family. Oman is a trash picker. He collects trash from streets and garbage bins in  large plastic bags that he carries or drags behind him because he does not have money to buy a traditional trash cart. Oman’s wife, Asnah was also at the house and they watched as she sorted the piles of plastic trash.

The young visitors were moved by Oman’s story. They learned that, with a trash cart, he could collect 3 to 4 times more trash he currently collects, thus earning more money from greater sales.  They discussed Oman’s predicament among themselves and decided right then that Oman needed a trash cart.

They pooled their money, gave it to Oman and sent him to purchase enough materials to build a brand-new cart.

The next day they went back to the community and worked with Oman and Heri, a trash picker who knows how to build trash carts. By the end of the day it was finished and ready for use.

“I would never have dreamed that I could have my own trash cart. And I never thought that I could have one in one day”, said a grateful Oman.

In a follow up email to XSProject, one of the UWCSEA students wrote: ”We feel proud that we are supporting an organization like [XSProject] that is doing vital work to improve the lives of the trash pickers and their families. We were able to finish building the cart with Oman and we are very happy we managed to help a man achieve one of his wishes. Thank you for making our visit memorable.”

The day the UWCSEA students spent at Cirendeu, will long be remembered by Oman, his family, and the entire trash picker community. The six young men learned that even a small service project can be life changing for others. We know they will never forget their experience.

The use of computer now days has become part of everyday life and in everything we do, from the office to the school works. Unfortunately not everybody can afford to have his/her own computer.

 XSProject feels that the community now needs to have a set of computer available so that the students, the moms, the teacher can use it anytime they need to, close to home and for free, then eventually, maybe the fathers can start learning how to use the computer.

 When we put a new computer and printer in the community library, the community has many reasons to be happy and relieved.

 Septi of Grade 6 said – ‘When I have homework assignment that require a research from goggle, I have to use my mom’s hand phone. The screen is small so it’s hard to see and it takes a long time to get the information I need. Now I can have a bigger screen and I can do my homework faster. Bachrudin of Middle School said - ‘‘The school asked ask me to learn on how to use computer to prepare for the exam, because we will use a computer to do the national exam, and now my friends and I can take turn practice for free and we can do this as many times as we can. Ardiansyah who just graduated also said that now he can search and process the college applications close to home and as long as they need on a free internet.

Ms. Vicky, our pre grade 1 teacher and Bedah – our community administrator, both are also grateful of having a computer in the community as they always need to use computer for preparing class programs and materials, and for Bedah to prepare reports on the community to XSProject office.

The parents are most welcome to the idea of XSProject provide the computer because it saves their time of taking their children to the ‘internet café’ – where they have to pay to use the computer, the internet access and to print their children home works. That was the only option for them to support their children education.

To the GlobalGiving donors, who have supported our community, we thank you and want you to know that your contributions have made this possible. We hope we can count on your support in trying to give better opportunities, not just for the children but also for their parents.

Last November, our friends at GlobalGiving let us know that XSProject had been selected by the Project-of-the-Month Club to receive their December donation. If you don’t know about the Project-of-the-Month Club, it is a group of GlobalGiving donors who pool their donations and each month they select a project to donate to. You can learn more about this on GlobalGiving’s website.

This project report is about the profound impact that pooled donations like this can have on a GlobalGiving partner. We are immensely thankful for this large donation. In Indonesia, and especially at the trash picker communities where XSProject does our work, even $10.00 goes a very long way. But a big donation is a life changing event and can even be a lifesaving event.

The smoke from the fires at the Cirendeu garbage dump is toxic. Each inhale breath tastes like smoke. It burns the lungs and eyes. You can’t see the methane produced by the rotting trash but you know you’re breathing it as well. Sudden health expenses can be catastrophic for XSProject, and we never know when the health of a trash picker or a child can turn into an emergency trip to the hospital.

That is why for a long time, XSProject has wanted to build a simple clinic at the dump. Northing big or fancy but with the goal of preventing and/or monitoring some of the conditions so common in trash picker communities. We will have a nurse on site twice a week to monitor blood pressure and blood glucose, check heart rates, take temperatures, dispense aspirin, bandage skinned knees and know when an illness is serious enough that a trip to the doctor is required. We envision "our nurse" giving workshops to the women and young girls on diet, exercise, puberty, family planning, mother and infant health and general guidelines for wellness.

Thanks to the donors of the GlobalGiving Project-of-the-Month Club, planning has begun on the clinic. This donation will support the clinic for three years. XSProject will be able to fund the clinic on its own after that. Thank you GlobalGiving donors. Please watch for another project report about the grand opening of the XSProject Cirendeu Clinic!

photos by Verena Radulovic

All of us at XSProject Indonesia would like to thank the GlobalGiving community for your support of our programs in 2017. Generous and thoughtful donors have contributed to our social programs for the health and well being of trash pickers and their families and to our Give an Education to a Trash Picker’s Child program.

Giving hope to disadvantaged individuals has many pathways and can even take a different route each day. People with food insecurities often do not make good decisions about what they eat. So, we fund nutritional meals and educate the families about making healthier food choices. We also offer medical treatment for diabetes and it’s many symptoms. Breathing the smoke and methane from rotting garbage at the dump causes asthma and other respiratory illnesses, heart and lung disease. This year, we have seen more cases of tuberculosis and lymphoma.

The most positive changes in the community are the result of educating the children. From K through 12 and now to the college level, the young people have the desire to have a better life than their parents. Yet, the family unit is so strong that the reason why the students work so hard in school and are hungry for knowledge is to be able to provide a worthy home and better living conditions for their parents.

When you make a donation to XSProject through GlobalGiving, you have a direct impact on making this happen. XSProject is the support or “hand up” for these families to get them to a place where they can do for themselves. Poverty does not mean loss of dignity or laziness. It means lack of opportunity. We hope you will continue to support our work in the trash picker community with these many families. You are making the difference for them.

So, as this year ends, we offer our gracious thanks and sincere appreciation to all of you. If we could, we would give you each a big hug!