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.