Milka Saba , (74), is a widow who lives in Biloto Village with her three children, Desrianti Bahan, (44), Ahap Pace (37), and Jemris Bahan (35), as well as her grandchild, Mese Bahan , (20). Three of the four family members living with Milka have disabilities. Two of her children and one grandchild have physical disabilities that affect their mobility, while another child has a psychosocial disability. The three family members with physical disabilities are unable to walk. As a result, everyday activities such as moving around, accessing sanitation facilities, and managing their livelihood are more challenging.

To meet their daily needs, Milka's family sells firewood and runs a small kiosk in front of their home. Before receiving support, the kiosk was very basic. It consisted of a table and an empty cabinet that had not yet been properly arranged as a place of business. Limited capital also made it difficult for the family to maintain sufficient stock and offer a wider range of goods.

Through the Disability Livelihood Development Program, Yayasan TLM, through its TTS Branch, has provided support to the family in stages. Initial assistance included basic food supplies and a sanitation package to help meet the family’s immediate needs. Further support was provided to improve their livelihood space. The previously basic table and cabinet were repainted and rearranged. They were then fitted with mesh and doors to make the kiosk more suitable for use. The kiosk was also stocked with a wider range of everyday necessities, giving the family more products to sell to people in the surrounding community.

Today, the family’s kiosk is more organized and offers a greater variety of goods. Although the impact on the family’s income will need to be observed as the business develops, the support has given them a more suitable space and the means to continue running and gradually developing their livelihood from home.

In addition to livelihood and basic needs support, Yayasan TLM has provided the family with a fiber water tank to help meet their household water needs. Further support is currently being prepared to improve the water connection so that water can be channeled into the tank. In this way, the assistance is not only supporting the family’s livelihood but also gradually helping them meet their basic needs and gain more adequate access to water and sanitation.

For Milka and her family, these may seem like small changes, but they make a difference in their everyday lives. With a better place to run their small kiosk and support for some of their basic needs, they can continue to make a living from home and help one another along the way. Life is still not easy, but they now have a little more support to support their daily lives.