GERSON A PWD: “TLM CREATES JOB FOR US”

By Ona Tasoin,

Gerson Natbais, 40 years old (PWD), married and has two children, an eleven-year-old daughter, in the grade third of elementary school and a 4-year-old son.

Gerson is a multi-talented person who never takes his blindness as a barrier to work everyday in order to fulfill his family needs.

Prior joined as TLMF client Gerson used to work at MISI Susteran – Kupang for 8 years as therapist, he then decided to resign from MISI Susteran and tried to work independently by providing massage service door to door as his main job. The skill allowed him to earn income of IDR 200,000 to 300,000 every time he plays.

Gerson also has another skill playing keyboard that he learns self-taught, with this skill he is sometimes demanded to play and sing at wedding party or family party. Before the covid-19 pandemic, the income he could earn from playing keyboard is amounting to IDR 150,000 to IDR 300,000.

Nevertheless, Gerson felt that he needed to have a steady income that could support the needs of his family.

This is why he decided to join TLM Foundation Disability programs. He was interested to involve in the PWD small meeting held by TLM Foundation. The TLM Foundation also provided the FGD meeting that discussed about sustainability, entrepreneurship, confidence, how to deal with competition in business and making duster. In addition to Gerson along with other PWD attended a training to improve their massage skill held by HITBIA. The massage training aims to prepare them for Rumah Sehat (Health Centre).

After joining those FGD programs, Gerson applied in the PWD loan program that provided him capital to star his own business. Currently he is in the 3rd loan cycle with a loan of IDR 3,000,000. This loan was spent on material of duster and stocks for kiosk business such as coffee, sugar, instant noodles, snacks, rice, etc. this business is very helpful for Gerson’s family in meeting their daily needs and education needs. This business can earn income of IDR 50,000 to IDR. 100,000 per day.

Besides having a new kiosk business that his wife take care of, Gerson and his other 19 PWDs friends also work as therapists in TLM Foundation’s Rumah Sehat (Healthy Home). He is grateful for the presence of Health Centre; he has destination where he has to work. He works at Health Centre every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

“We are very happy and grateful that TLM creates job and provides workplace for PWD like us, where would anyone want to employ blind people like us?” Said Gerson.

Because Gerson and his family are staying in a rent house for more than 10 years, he is now utilizing his incomes to build his family house. The house is now on building progress. He is hoping so much that this pandemic will be gone soon so that he can work again normally to earn money to finish his family home.

A Story about Home Renovation Program in Pniel Oebobo Church

By Ona Tasoin,

Yumina Banu (58) a widow. Her former husband was Benyamin Mone Weo (passed away few years ago. She has no children from her husband but they adopted a boy named Sepriyanto Banu (19) a Senior high school since he was 2 years old.

Yumina and her son live in a very small rundown home in Hati Mulia Street-Oebobo, Kupang City. Everyday she works as a laundry woman to her neighbours to fulfil their daily needs especially her son’s school tuition fees.

Their home condition was not good enough to when the Seroja storm attached last year, this caused a huge damage at that time.

Yumina while crying testified that the night the storm came, with her son they could only pray for their safety because their home’s roof gone while it was raining, stormy and flooded outside. Fortunately, a neighbour came and bring them to their home.

She testified that, the first aid for them at that time was from the church that lately she knew that the support was from TLM.

Yumina is grateful that not only food now she is also helped with this home renovation program.

“As a widow I really wanted to thank TLM and the church for helping me to renovate my home, honestly, I cannot afford to buy materials, thank you for providing me walls, cements, nails and iron sheets. May the Lord bless TLM and donors who support us this much” Said Yumina.

PURSUING CAREER, SHARING KNOWLEDGE, SERVING THE POOR WITH TLM FOUNDATION

By Ona Tasoin,

Leany Anggraini Adu or who is familiarly called Leany was born in Kupang, April 12, 1985. Leany is a graduate of English Study Program of University of Nusa Cendana (UNDANA). Leany is not married yet for she is busy in pursuing career as a trainer in TLM Foundation’s Home Industry program. Leany started to work at the TLM Foundation in 2011, in Transformation and Training Division, for the section of TLM Cooperative’s customers training at that time.

Leany said that at first, she was interested in joining and working with TLM Foundation besides wanting a career, she also shared knowledge as a teacher. With her experience of teaching at a Sunday school at his local church as well as his experience as a teacher in a compassion organization (PPA), she is confident that she can train in community empowerment programs, especially housewives.

When she joined TLM Foundation, Leany was also given a Training of Trainer (ToT) training for capacity building as well as adjustments from teaching children to training adults (housewives). She was also involved in home industry internship programs to food processing factories, business management training, entrepreneurship, financial management and even public service training (Customer Service Excellent). This is done by the TLM Foundation on a regular basis to prepare the training staff to be better prepared and able to train with the materials needed by the community.

In her service in the community as a Home Industry trainer, she needed to carry out stages such as; prepare materials according to training topics, training SOPs, handouts/modules, materials and tools for practice and etc.

The training topics also vary according to the group’s needs based on the results of a potential survey of both natural resource and human resource. As for the topics that have been trained such as; Training on fish processing (shredded fish, fish nuggets, smoked fish), training on sweet potato chips, pumpkin sticks, bananas, corn, moringa processing, meatball making, herbal medicine (jamu), coffee powder, red ginger powder, sewing training, furniture training/ carpentry, tire repair workshops, training on making souvenirs from shells, weaving training, barbershop training, beauty salon training and so on.

In addition, Leany also provides general knowledge training such as; Sanitation, human trafficking, balanced nutrition, reproductive health etc. Not only training, but she also provided business establishment assistance for those who wanted to start a new business after training and business management assistance for members who want to develop their current businesses.

Leany Adu admitted that she is now more confident in providing home industry training to adults after approximately 11 years of working as a trainer at TLM Foundation. Besides being confident, she is also more disciplined in doing everything, including when she is in the midst of her family. This happened because she was used to work according to the targets and SOPs given.

Leany admits that serving as a trainer is not easy. This is because she has to be away from her family and has to adapt to new environments she visits.

Leany added, there are many challenges that she often encounters in conducting Home Industry training, such as; The mindset of the trainees who often still depend on TLM staff where the average community has been patterned with assistance and aids, tends not to want to be an entrepreneur.

 “It often happens, we have given training, business capital assistance like materials and equipment and machines for production but it is not continued. Sometimes the materials we train are new to them and the surrounding community, so they find it difficult to sell their post-production products, this sometimes makes members lazy to continue their business,” said Leany.

However, Leany stated that she always provides follow-up assistance, both in person and by telephone, for members who wanted to consult on business development, and even help them to find a market for the group to sell their products.

In addition to marketing assistance, Leany also assists groups that are already producing regularly to obtain PIRT (Home Industry Food Permission) so that the product is easier to sell.

Although there are many things that make it difficult to work as Home Industry trainer, Leany said that she is proud and happy to be a trainer because she sees that being a trainer is a proof of TLM foundation’s concern for poor with their small businesses. With the positive changes that have occurred in society, Leany admits that being a trainer is a proud service when she is helping others through training and knowledge sharing.

Leany stated that the reasons she enjoyed being part of YTLM-GMIT as a trainer; “It’s great to see people who initially didn’t have a business, but after participating the training, they have the enthusiasm to build an independent business, and succeed in making a profit of up to IDR. 10 million per month, there is a special pride for me as a trainer.

In addition, I enjoy working at TLM because TLM has a clear career path. At TLM I was also taught to make rational and professional targets and work plans. Working at TLM is a tremendous blessing, not only for me personally but also for the community and my family.” Closed Leany.