 | Oemi photographing a friend | |
May 13, 2004—Since Sudarmi’s husband was gunned down six years ago in Indonesia’s conflict-torn province of Aceh, she has learned well the meaning of poverty and isolation. Left without land, she has had struggled to support her children. No government programs cushioned the shock; no villagers offered their support. “After my husband was killed, I could not work outside because I was so afraid,” she said. “I didn’t have money to send my children to school. No one was willing to lend me money. In Aceh, it is very difficult to work or start a business because it is still a conflict area.” In addition, widows often face discrimination from community members and government officials, who view them as a burden to society. Women’s Group Steps In But things have started to change for her since she began working with the poverty-alleviation group PEKKA (the Woman-Headed Household Empowerment Program), and since she picked up a small camera and began taking photos. PEKKA is the first development project in Indonesia to address the needs of widows and women living in areas of conflict. The group helps women like Sudarmi organize themselves to overcome their isolation, and provides them job training and small-scale loans. In just three years, the group has attracted more than 6,000 members. PEKKA is part of Indonesia’s Kecamatan Development Project, a World Bank-funded program that allows communities to choose and help implement future development projects in their region. It is one of the largest community development programs in the world. Widows are among the poorest in Indonesia Widowed women living in war-torn regions rank among the poorest of Indonesia’s 28 million people living in poverty. In a number of villages in Aceh, for example, 40 percent of the households living on less than $1 a day are headed by a woman. When a husband dies, families often plunge into a cycle of poverty that can last for generations. Children are often pulled from school to help support the family. Impoverished households must sell whatever meager assets they hold. “It is difficult for these women to access resources because our law clearly states that a man is the only head of the household,” said Nani Zulminarni, a community organizer who directs PEKKA. The organization is the result of a collaboration between the government’s Ministry of Home Affairs and a civil society group, the National Commission on Violence Against Women. Camera Lens as Empowerment One of the key challenges has been helping the women – many of whom have been traumatized – find ways to overcome shyness and fear to publicly speak up for themselves in an environment where women rarely participate in community meetings. One successful effort has been to train some of the women as photographers. “In our culture women are not used to publicly expressing themselves,” said Nani. “So we use the photos as a tool, as means to express ourselves. To tell about our lives, to tell about our struggles. The women have become more confident, more empowered using this very simple technology.” Most of the widows live in remote areas where cameras are not common. With their skills and training with cameras and film developing, many of the women are now being asked to take pictures for weddings and other important events in their villages. Even village leaders ask the widows to take pictures of village events to document their needs during meetings with district government. Sudarmi was lukewarm when offered the chance to learn photography. “At first, I refused,” she said. “I was afraid and I didn’t have confidence in myself. I didn’t know how to use a camera.” She changed her mind after learning that she would receive training. “Now my community has accepted me as a photographer and they have used my skills,” she said. “I know that I am good at this.” The World Bank hosted an exhibit in Washington, featuring photographs from 20 Indonesian widows. Nine of the widows traveled to Washington in April 2004 to attend the opening of the exhibit. The exhibit showcases work from seven conflict areas (Aceh, West Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Maluku, Southeast Sulawesi, West and Central Java, and Nusa Tenggara Barat). My name is Sudarmi and I’m a photographer Sudarmi is one of the widows who were trained to become photographers. This is her testimony: My name is Sudarmi. I am 37 years old and working as a farmer. I am a widow because my husband died. I have 4 children, 1 son and 3 daughters. I have been widowed for 6 years, since 1998, when I became a victim of the first Military Operation Region in Aceh (or 1st DOM). Now 2nd DOM has already declared in Aceh. The lengthy conflict in Aceh makes my life miserable and I am still traumatized by what happened to me. I was fearful of my life then. After my husband was killed, I could not work outside because I was so afraid. My children were young then but since they are growing, I didn’t have money to send them to school. No one was willing to lend me money. In Aceh, it is very difficult to work or start a business because it is still a conflict area. I cannot go outside my village to earn additional money. In April 2002, the PEKKA Program started in my village. The program started a group to give savings and loan to its members. I became a member and borrowed some money because I want to start my own business to help me to have a better life. After a few months, I was appointed by my group to participate in photography training to become a photographer. First, I refused because I was afraid and I didn’t have confidence in myself. Also, I didn’t know how to use a camera. But, after I was told that I will be taught to use a camera and learn how to take a photo, I decided to give it a try and participated in the training. I went to Banda Aceh for the training, where I learned how to use a camera and how to take a good photograph. Finally, I have confidence in myself and have more courage. Now, I know how to use a camera. I have taken some pictures for PEKKA documentations. I participate in other PEKKA activities, such as women and religion. We have meetings every Friday. Since then, I’ve became less afraid and I’ve started to go outside my village and take some pictures. I am still afraid of the military, because if they come to my village, I cannot take any pictures and I cannot do anything. I try to avoid them because I am still traumatized by my past experience and I still afraid of them. But I know I have to move on despite my fear. I think I can go not only outside of my village but also to the city. I have gone to Banda Aceh, Jakarta and now America. Although I can’t go alone to Jakarta, I can go by myself to Banda Aceh. I went to America with my friends from PEKKA. My hope for the future is to be a professional photographer and have a better life. I want to provide my children with a strong education so they can be like other children who have a father. Now, my community has accepted me as a photographer and they have used my skills. I know I am good at this. |
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