Generate Income & Hope From Non-Recyclable Garbage

Usually, daily lives of Jakarta’s trash pickers are the same every day. More than half a million people make their living picking through trash cans and dumpsters, sorting out anything they can sell just to feed their families. That is, until something goes wrong.

It’s only a matter of time before someone becomes sick. Living at a garbage dump, on top of the waste, breathing the methane and smoke-filled air and eating a diet of mostly rice, noodles and fried food, even a small cut or mosquito bite can turn into a trip to the doctor.

When someone in a trash pickers family becomes sick, the entire family is impacted.  This is what happened to Maran last month when his wife, Sumiyati was diagnosed with acute leukemia.

When she was finally too weak to care for her children, Sumiyati went to the doctor.  She was immediately transferred to the large Fatmawati Hospital in Jakarta and given 3 blood transfusions – a total of 27 pints. She stayed in the hospital for two weeks and only Maran could visit her. Her sons waited outside the hospital room too young to understand why their mother could not come home and take care of them.

Because Sumiyati and Maran’s two boys, Rahmat, who is in the 5^th grade and Deden, in the 3^rd grade attend school under XSProject, we soon heard about her condition.  The baby, Eva, had been sent to live with Sumiyati’s parents in another part of the city because no one could care for her.

Maran does not understand what is happening to his wife. Because he is poor, uneducated and the hospital bills are mounting, the doctors do not share much information with him. The hospital released Sumiyati last week, with some medication to take daily and instructions to eat better to keep up her strength.

XSProject is making visits to their home to monitor Sumiyati’s condition. Aminah, a neighbor, has been preparing healthy meals until she can get her strength back. The boys continue to attend school but are confused and worried that their mother might die.

XSProject supports more than 100 trash picker families.  The progress we have made delivering vaccinations, visits to the dentist, eye doctor and educating the children to break the poverty cycle is largely the result of GlobalGiving’s incredibly generous donors.

Saving Sumiyati may be the single most important mission XSProject has undertaken. Your contribution to XSProject to help Maran, Sumiyati and their family is a gift well given. Thank you.