Hopeful Souvenir from South West Sumba: How the Community’s Life Strenghten Our Work
The feeling of deep emotion, happiness, and expressions of gratitude from the community successfully touched and strengthened my heart. I was swept away by their emotion. I experienced and felt this upon being sincerely and warmly welcomed in a village supported by Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI) in Southwest Sumba Regency, East Nusa Tenggara.
The place I visited this time was a village that had just started assistance and partnering with WVI. However, the meeting we held already felt very close. A dialogue that should have only lasted 30-45 minutes flowed for over an hour and a half.
"We realise and know that getting acquainted with WVI is God's way of helping us. We are convinced that WVI is the extended hand of God to answer our longing for community development programme in this village," said Mr. Ardo (44), a respected religious leader in the community, as he started our dialogue.
The conversation then moved on to several issues in the village. One of them was the difficulty of access to clean water. The community admitted that they currently have to buy water at a price of 150,000 Rupiah per tank for a maximum need of two weeks. In addition, the community also tries to collect rainwater, even though it rarely rains in Sumba. I could not imagine how difficult it must be to meet water needs, including for the community's fields and gardens. Meanwhile, fields and gardens are their main source of income. The community revealed that they have to save water for bathing in order to water their gardens.
The issue of clean water access is one of the priorities of the community development program activities in this village. A big dream, namely the availability of water in the village, is beginning to be planned. I deeply salute the good cooperation that exists between WVI staff in Southwest Sumba and the community in the assisted village. Thanks to this cooperation, water access can truly be realised.
"We have seen the water coming out from underground. We will support each other to ensure the water reaches this village and we will manage it well. If repairs are needed in the future, we will handle them properly. We will create a system according to the capabilities of the hamlet residents," said Mr. Prederik (55), the Village Secretary. He was answering our question about the plan for managing the clean water facility after construction is completed and handover takes place.
I feel that the community's enthusiasm to initiate change stems from the close and sincere relationship between Venti, as the operational office manager of WVI in Southwest Sumba, all the staff, and freelancers, with the children and community in this village. In all my visits, the open and equal closeness was very evident. The children and community in the village accept WVI staff in Southwest Sumba, and even me, who works daily in Kupang, like close family.
I also saw directly the condition of the spring that is a new hope for the villagers. "The water source is down there, Mr. Portun. Let's go see it, Sir. We will hold you as you go down because it's quite steep," explained Mr. Ardo with a laugh.
We descended to the borehole location. Sure enough, I had to go through a steep, sloping path. As a result, I slipped and slightly sprained my ankle even though Mr. Ardo was holding me tightly. Besides a warm heart, I also brought back a souvenir of a cramped foot that needed special attention after returning to Kupang.
Besides the issue of clean water, we also discussed how parents educate and weave dreams for their children's future. A mother named Mama Lusia (60) raised her hand and then told her story.
"I am 60 years old, so none of my children are under eighteen anymore, which you referred to as the age of a child. But I will continue to support the children here. I did not go to school, but I made an effort to send all my children to school. I firmly believe that school is very important," she said enthusiastically. We welcomed Mama Lusia's story with applause. All of Mama Lusia's children successfully obtained university degrees and some became Civil Servants (ASN). Mama Lusia's life story illustrates that every parent actually has big dreams for their children. Now, together with WVI, the local government, and other partners, the village community no longer needs to struggle alone to realise those dreams.
Southwest Sumba, both in terms of nature and the social condition of the community, indeed requires many resources and the right methods to support change. However, behind all the vulnerabilities, there is sincerity, acceptance, and hope to strive for change. The way the community gives thanks for life serves as a motivation for me and my WVI colleagues in Southwest Sumba to continue doing our best work. However, we also cannot work alone. Cross-sector, cross-stakeholder cooperation is greatly needed to make Southwest Sumba increasingly full of hope and bring positive change for the children and the community.
Author: Portunatas Tamba (Zone Manager for East Nusa Tenggara area)
Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communications Executive)
