Category Archives: FEATURES
ERIKS ARUBANG and Water Cart
Eriks Arubang, 27 years-old, an Awyu man, now studying in College of Social and Political Sciences (Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, STISIPOL –Ed.) Yaleka Maro, Merauke. He has started his job as clean water peddler, using hand-pushed cart, since 2008. In dry season, he can earn about IDR 100,000 (USD 11.1) per day. In rainy season he can earn IDR 50,000 (USD 5.5) in average. He using the money to buy foods and other daily stuffs and, of course, expenses of his study in the college.
Beside going around everyday pushing his water cart, he also serving people demands for transportation. He using his motorcycle as rental vehicle to deliver both passengers or packages. From this additional job, he can earn about IDR 200,000 (USD 22.2) per day.
Eriks said that he do not like to blame anyone or anything. For him, life is a struggle and should be enjoyed too. His simple but sharp mind is a good example for other young people, especially young Papuans, on how to build self convidence and determination.**(KH)
MAMA MAGDA: Hardwork of A Single Mother
Magdalena Wanewop, 45 years-old, a Muyu women who is daily working as vegetable vendor in Mopah Market, the biggest town market of Merauke. Everyday, she is always wake up at 3 o’clock early morning, walking to the market and backhome at 5 o’clock afternoon, sometimes late up to 7 o’clock evening. Her daily income is not fixed one, sometimes almost of her vegs even not sold. She should smart enough to manage the income for her daily needs and for school expenses of her 4 children. Her burden became heavier when, some years ago, her husband simply left her with the children without money, let say valuable assets. Mama Magda kept her desperation silently and continuing her hardwork. In November 2011, her elder daughter accomplished her study in Nursery Academy.
Mama Magda is not a person who likely to complain others. Her fellow women in Mopah Market are frequently telling about Mama Magda’s struggle for life as a remarkable example of hardwork and dedication, a single mother with postive thinking towards the future rather than regretting bitter past.**(BG)
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Tagged dedication, Merauke, Mopah, positive thinking, single mother
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MUTING: Big Village in Great River
Location of Muting Village (white circle), Muting District (red area), in Merauke Regency. The size of the circle is not the actual one, just to indicate the site of the village.
Compare with villages in other areas or islands of Indonesia, villages in Papua are generally bigger in geographic size but smaller in term of its population number. For example, the area of one village in Papua may larger several times than some villages altogether in Java but its population may fewer than one hamlet in Java. This is why Muting Village become an unusual hinterland village in Papua since its number of population is about twice than commonly found in other villages. Situated about 240 km to the north of Merauke Town, Muting Village is capital of Muting District, one of three oldest districts in Merauke Regency (other two are Okaba and Merauke Town). This big village located in the bank of one of largest and longest rivers in Papua, the Great Bian. Although is one of the most established administrative districts in Papua, however, access road to this village from Merauke Town is still underdeveloped and full of muds and big holes during rainy seasons .
A. OVERALL CONDITION OF VILLAGER’s HOUSES
Basic map of Muting Village digitized by villagers themselves based on their sketchs made through transect walking. This is the basic layer to be overlayed with several thematic maps to show particular issues such as housing and enviromental sanitation.
- Total Number = 115 houses (some houses occupied by more than one nucleas families)
- General Condition = 105 houses (91.3%) are poor (too old, even rotten)
- Clean-water = 48 houses (41.7%) have no facilities
- Sanitation = 84 houses (73.0%) have toilets and bathrooms but almost dirty
- Electricity = 64 houses (55,7%) no electricity
B. FAMILY EDUCATION
- Of 159 households, 85 (53.5%) head of families only reached Elementary School level
- Of 482 school-age children, 158 (32.8%) enrolled in Elementary School, 72 (14,9%) have dropped-out
C. PEOPLE’s HEALTH
- Most common illness (headache, cold, skin problem) = 65 persons (56,5%)
- Epidemic diseases (cholera, diarrhoea, malaria) = 31 persons (27.0%)
- Chronic diseases (TBC, cancer, fatal broken bones) = 19 persons (16,5%)
- Average duration of sickness = 1-3 days (55 persons, 47.9%)
- Children died in the last five years = 30 babies and kids (26.1%)
- Have health insurance = only 17 families (14.8%)
D. HOUSEYARD & UTILIZATION
- Size = 100 houses (87.0%) more than 3,000 m2
- Utilization = only 15 houses (13.1%) fully cultivated; others are more or less than half
E. HOUSEHOLD MONTHLY EXPENDITURES
- For foods = 59 houses (51.3%) more than 50%; 38 houses (33.0%) between 30-50%
- For energy = 97 houses (84.6%) more than 20%; others are between 10-20%
- The rest (30% in average) are for other expenditures (children education, health care, etc.)
Two landscapes of Muting Village: main road in housing area, some schoolkids passing by (left); and huge swamp surrounding the village, some villagers crossing by dugboat (right) (Photo: OKTO WAKEN)
ALEXIUS GEBZE: Never Gave Up
Alexius Gebze, 27 years-old, a young Marind man living in Yatom Hamlet of Waninggap Naggo Village, Distric of Semangga, about 20 kilometers in northern outskirt of Merauke Town. In 1996, when he just a teenager dropped out from school, he started his ‘service business’, repairing broken tires of other people’s motorcycles. Until today, he still doing it with very rudimentary equipments: no compressor, moulding stoves, anvill, and stocks of new tires. When customers ask him to replace old tires with new one, he just simply go to nearby stores. For every service, customers pay him IDR 20,000 (USD 2.2) and there are only 2 or 3 customers per day.
Of course, the income is very small. So, Alex also working as a traditional farmer cultivating rice, tubers, bananas, and vegetables. Still, this additional income is not so much, just enough to cover his daily needs for simple foods. In certain times, he also doing various temporary paid jobs. For him, the most important is not the form or type of works but to get income by his own efforts without make other people loss or disturbed. This principle have made him never gave up to the situation. Not so many young Marind people today who have that kind of spirit of life and endless hopes. Alex is a living example for them.”"(KH)
SELIL: Far in the Interior
Location of Selil Village (white circle), Ulilin District (red area), in Merauke Regency. The size of the circle is not the actual one, just to indicate the site of the village.
Here, we present summary of important parts of the data of Selil, one of the selected villages in the northernmost side of Merauke Regency, about 270 km from Merauke Town. The village can be reached only by dugboat crossing huge swamps and great river of Bian, about 3-4 hours from Muting District where heavy damaged and bumped land road was ended.
A. OVERALL CONDITION OF VILLAGER’s HOUSES
- Total Number = 34 houses (some houses occupied by more than one nucleas families)
- General Condition = 30 houses (88.3%) are poor (too old, even rotten)
- Clean-water = 31 houses (91.1%) have no facilities
- Sanitation = 4 houses (11.8%) have toilet and bathroom but almost dirty
- Electricity = only 1 house (2,9%) have no electricity
B. FAMILY EDUCATION
- Head of Family = 28 persons (85.3%) only reached Elementary School level
- Children = 32 persons (43.9%) in Elementary School, 6 (8.2%) drop-out
Basic map of Selil Village digitized by villagers themselves based on their sketchs made through transect walking. This is the basic layer to be overlayed with several thematic maps to show particular issues such as housing and enviromental sanitation.
C. PEOPLE’s HEALTH
- Most common illness (headache, cold, skin problem) = 20 persons (57,1%)
- Epidemic diseases (cholera, diarrhoea, malaria) = 13 persons (40.0%)
- Chronic diseases (TBC) = 1 persons (2,9%)
- Average duration of sickness = 1-3 days (15 persons, 44.1%)
- Children died in the last five years = 9 kids (26.4%)
- Have health insurance = only 3 families (8.9%)
D. HOUSEYARD & UTILIZATION
- Size = 31 houses (91.1%) more than 3,000 m2
- Cultivated = 25 houses (73.5%) more than half; 7 houses (20.6%) less than half
E. HOUSEHOLD MONTHLY EXPENDITURES
- For foods = 13 houses (38.2%) more than 50%; 12 houses (35.3%) between 30-50%
- For energy = 15 houses (44.1%) more than 30%; 11 houses (32.3%) between 10-20%
- The rest (18.2%) for other expenditures (health, education, entertainment, etc.)
Land main road crossing the housing (settlement, center of the village) area of Selil (PHOTO: JOHN REMBE)
2011 © SKP-KAME, Merauke