Project Compassion 2019 – Tati’s Story: 100% Hope

18 March 2019
Tatik Eryati showing a woollen orangutan doll she made to sell to tourists in Tembak Jamlet, Sintang District, Indonesia. Image: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia.

 

For each of the six weeks of Lent, the Diocese of Parramatta is sharing one of Caritas Australia’s feature stories of lives changed through support and empowerment programs.

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT – 17 March, 2019

Tati’s story, Indonesia

Land is not a commodity, but rather a gift from God. – Pope Francis, Laudato si’

100% Hope

 

Tati is a Dayak woman, living in the remote forest of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Like all Dayak people whose values and culture are deeply linked to the rainforest, Tati’s family has relied on it for sustenance for generations.

Her community is committed to protecting its rainforest for the future and is working with Caritas Australia and local authorities to develop alternative sustainable livelihoods. This enables the community to develop a strong financial base and take the lead in managing land, as well as making decisions on how that land is used.

Her remote village lies deep in the rainforest, and can only be accessed by barely passable roads. Communication is difficult and the electricity produced by a small hydro-electric installation provides limited supply to the village.

Tati lives with her husband and two of her three children, aged 8 and 16. Her two youngest children go to school nearby while her 19-year-old son lives in a rented room 60 kilometres away, so he can be near his school. The family pays for his living-away-from-home expenses, in addition to providing for school expenses.

Although Indonesia has made enormous gains in poverty reduction in recent years, over 28 million Indonesians still live below the poverty line, with around 40 percent of its population vulnerable to falling into poverty.

Before Tati joined the Caritas program, she and her husband mainly earned their income from rubber tapping and raising chickens.

“The challenge is that family expenses increase every year – and I have to go to the forest to tap rubber and it’s hard to manage the care of my children,” Tati says.

Over the last few years, communities which depend on the native forests have seen them shrink, along with vital habitats for endangered orangutans, rhinos and tigers.

Caritas Australia, with its partners Caritas Indonesia – KARINA and the Diocesan Caritas are working with local communities to create new hope for a better future, by helping teach local people English and long-term, sustainable eco-tourism activities.

So far, 40 people, including Tati, have been trained in areas including: identifying tourist attractions, managing accommodation, playing traditional musical instruments and making souvenirs, such as necklaces, shawls and orangutan dolls from local resources.

Since taking part in the training, Tati has increased her family income ten times over, by cooking for tourists and making souvenirs. She is able to pay for school expenses for her children and is more confident in speaking English. She loves introducing tourists to Dayak traditions and has strengthened her own links to her culture.

Around 600 people have directly benefitted from the program – with hopes that it can be expanded to other districts.

Village elder, Yordanus, is proud that his community made the commitment to protect its forest and keep it intact for future generations.

“People depend on the forest and the river for food, fish and medicine, as well as having a spiritual connection to it,” Yordanus says. “Other villages which have sold their land no longer have a river with clean water or their own land. Without the forest, their village is no longer cool, they’re noticing environmental changes.”

Yohanes Baskoro, Program Manager of Caritas Indonesia – KARINA says the key to the program’s success is community participation – with elders, men, women and children all having a role to play in supporting eco-tourism.

“Thanks to Caritas supporters, the Indigenous community can now have their own dreams, their own hopes to protect this land, this forest, so they can make sure the future will be better for them.”

He says that Tati is now in charge of the cooking at the eco-tourism program and has been an inspiration to other women.

“I hope to continue living with fresh air, clear water, protected forest and to be able to pay for my children’s education so that my grandchildren can still enjoy the forest,” Tati says.

“Thanks very much to the Australian people who have helped us and donated to this program.”

Your generous donation can help communities like Tati’s for generations to come.

To donate to Project Compassion, visit Caritas Australia’s website, www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion or call 1800 024 413.

With thanks to Caritas Australia.

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