When Mies Grijns visited West Java last January, she interviewed Titi on her work for Java Village. Titi protested, saying that she just liked to help, but for once we decided to ignore her modest objections and put her right in the so-earned spotlight!
How long have you been involved with Java Village? Eh, that is quite difficult to say, because my research work flowed naturally into aid work. The global crisis around 2000 triggered my involvement: I could no longer stand the suffering around me and I alerted Mies about this. With help from donors I managed to distribute items like rice, infant formula, medicines and building material to renovate houses, meeting people’s most basic needs. From about 2004 Mies and I started to look at more sustainable ways to support the villagers. In 2007 (the year the Java Village became an official foundation MG) our first project was the renovation of the elementary schools: in one school we built a library-cum-prayer room and in the other we helped renovate the teachers’ office, creating space for an extra classroom.
So, you have been working for much more than ten years already. Don’t you get bored? No, not yet (smiling), I am not continuously in the village, just visiting about twice a month. It is a welcome respite to my usual occupation as housewife and head of the neighbourhood (an administrative function MG). And I just like to be able to help.
What brought you to this particular village? I knew it already from fieldwork before. It is just easier to get access when you are already acquainted with the local people.
What did you learn from starting as a layperson becoming an expert in the field? Well, I don’t really feel I am an expert. My knowledge just came naturally. I learnt to appreciate my own life. Having seen so directly the living standard of the villagers, who have just one meal a day, I am grateful for my own life. In my view a project can only be successful if it connects with the needs of the people. The problem is that the people in the village don’t always see what their own needs are exactly. It’s also a matter of consciousness, to formulate the problem and to come to a solution together.
Has your work ever brought disappointment too? What makes the work difficult is the passive attitude of some villagers. They just wait for help; they hope you will solve their problems. It takes a lot of pushing and energy to activate them.
What are the highlights of these past years? I feel very inspired if I meet people, women who don’t give up, but manage to survive with patience and keep fighting for a better future.
What is your favourite project? My favourite project is Sponsor a Student. After the elementary school exams, I visit all candidates that are selected and proposed by their teachers – sometimes a student comes to us on its own initiative. It is hard to make a choice, but we cannot give grants to everyone. But it is great to see them prosper when they make it to secondary school. We have had some dropouts in the beginning, mostly because of hanging out with bad friends. And two girls had to give up because they were needed at home, one of them got married very young. The others are doing very well. I am so proud of students who manage to finish school. I do hope we can continue with this project for a long time and maybe in future manage to include senior high school in the programme.
Thank you very much, Titi, for all that you have been doing for Java Village! We hope we can continue our cooperation for many more years!
