It is not an exaggeration to say that women inspire the world through their love and dedication for their family. Often marginalized women, especially the unfortunate ones, struggle to support themselves and their families. Despite their hardships they face, these women never surrender. Following our second week’s stories we come back with more heartfelt realities of the women who refuse to give up on life.
Snack and Nasi Warung- Mrs. Warniasih
Wayan Warniasih, 49, owns a small stall on JalanSiligita near Minimart Siligita Nusa Dua. Standing on an occupied land, her stall is only made out of desks and has a roof of iron sheeting. This stall faces the rush of being relocated anytime. She has been selling her goods for almost 2 years and her stall has been relocated once before. Mrs. Warniasih sells various kinds of nasi, fried snacks, fruits, cakes and beverages such as coffee and tea for nearby hotel employees, passing drivers and bikers.
She used to cook and bake her own products to sell but due to her tight schedule in the warung she couldn’t manage to cook and bake anymore. Now she acquires most of her products from nearby housewives who make the cakes and nasi at home. Ibu Wayan stall’s open at 07.00 AM and close at 06.00 PM and she could earn up to Rp. 300.000 gross income daily. Unfortunately, even when combined with her husband’s daily income as a parking operator, the family is still not able to cover the family’s daily expenses.
Laundry – Ketut Siki
Working as a housemaid for 12 years from since a young age has shaped Ketut Siki into an agile, patience and dependable person. At age 40, she was offered a job in the housekeeping department in The Conrad Hotel regardless of her lack of foreign languages skills. Her strong motivation for self-development then brought her to study English in R.O.L.E. Foundation in between her job. Being the oldest student in the class only made her even more motivated to learn instead of being ashamed of her age.
After working for more than a year in The Conrad Bali, she was then offered a job in a villa owned by a foreigner. Her easy and cheerful nature equipped with her exceptional skills in housekeeping made it easy for her employer to trust her to train the other staff members in addition to her assigned tasks. Her limitation on mobility and transportation unfortunately forced her to quit the job she has been doing for more than 4 years. She is now trusted to be in charge of running a laundry in Jalan Siligita, Nusa Dua. Fortunately, without have to do much promotion for the laundry, her delightful nature attracts a lot of customers. Regardless, it would be more successful if she could arrange promotion strategies for the laundry.
Gado-Gado Warung – Mrs. Melinda
Melinda was a housewife from Malang Jawa Timur until her husband died. Losing the family’s main financial provider it is now her obligation to fulfill her children’s financial needs. Having only attended primary school (SD) she found it very hard to find a proper job to make a living for her and her 3 children. This is what drove Mrs. Melinda to leave her hometown and family in Malang to make a better living in Bali. Unfortunately, life is no easier in Bali.
Using her cooking hobby and skills she sells various kind of food such as gado-gado, tipat cantok, rujak, nasi bungkus, deep fried snack, sticky rice cakes, and beverages in a rented covert small space at JalanSiligita, Nusa Dua. She only earns around Rp. 300.000 daily gross income which is then reduced by the cost of her supplies. It is clear this is not enough for her and her family.
Jamu Peddler – Mrs. Parni
Starting her jamu peddler 15 years ago, Parni always sells her jamu on the same route around the neighborhood where she lives. She still uses the very traditional ways to prepare and cook her jamu over the 15 years. Her work is obvious by her yellowish hands. She prepares the jamu by herself using simple tools and her hands to squeezes the various spices used for the ingredients such as turmeric, curcumin, ginger, betel leaf, etc.
Despite her worsening physical condition due to the 15 years of manual preparation, Parni has never thought of giving up her business nor switching to another one. She even provides a massage service after her jamu business hours in order to financially support her family’s daily needs. Her business gives her joys as she interacts and engages with her surroundings through the jamu she sells. She would give health suggestions based on her experiences and recommend which jamu to take based on the customer’s health issue. Parni’s sincere devotion is her best marketing strategy.
Written by:
Ni Made Dwi Dharmiyanti, or usually known as Dwi is a Balinese girl from Denpasar. Passionate about the environment and women empowerment, this final year Management Student decided to take her passion into action by joining R.O.L.E. Foundation as an Intern and volunteer in August 2018.
