The Struggling of a Poor Old Man Raising His Family

On December 22, the sky was clear to have a special even such as our Bali charity program. Our target of the month was the family of Bapak I Wayan Tinggal. He lives in Gianyar Regency, precisely at Batukaru Street-Selat, Samplangan Village. We left the office at 01.30 p.m. in accor with our schedule and arrived there around 03.00 pm. Pak Tinggal lives in a hut with a very poor condition, did not suit for human to live in. He lives there with his mentally disorder wife and mentally retarded children. There are only two children but both cannot be relied on looking for a job to support the family’s economic condition due to their mental state.

Pak Tinggal actually had six children but only two staying with him and his wife in that hut. He was a formerly homesteader in Sulawesi, following the government recommend for her islands having even population through transmigration. Some succeed and some failed, Pak Tinggal is among them who failed and in the end going back to his homeland, Bali. In Sulawesi, he lost two children in forest and where his wife and one of his children also lost then found alive but having mental disorder. He actually had four children still alive however, one of his children never visit him, never looking back at his own family. Another one occasionally coming home if he has worked to do to support the family’s economic condition. Then the remaining two are those of mentally retarded children, a fully grown man and woman.

On December 22, through a rather steep path we saw clearly the hut where Pak Tinggal and his family lived. The rather steep path where one wrong move we will going down to the ravine below while carrying our donation one by one. To this family we donate some necessity stuff that we thought could ease the burden of this family. With us, we brought two mattress, pillows, blankets, and necessity food such as rice, eggs, cooking oil, sugar, coffee powder and more. We also gave them toiletries as in soaps, toothbrushes, toothpastes and shampoos. In the packet, there were also clothes and detergents for them to wash as well as some cooking equipments. We also gave this family some pocket money.

The hut is really in a tragic and poor condition. It built with anything strong enough to make it stand, always flooding on rainy season and anytime could suffer landslide. Here we met his paralyzed and mentally disorder wife and his two mentally retarded children. We saw hanging garment where they usually take a bath, we saw the chamber where they stick together and sleep every night and their kitchen. Here we had our chat with Pak Tinggal, where he shared his experience and lives in Sulawesi and in Bali.

It has been four years he and family live in that hut, on the land belong to someone else where at anytime they could be driven away. Once, there was social service officer visited Pak Tinggal and would like to put him and his wife at the nursing home and his children at an orphanage but his son strong headedly did not want them to be separated, make it become a very hard decision for Pak Tinggal to accept the offer. We have a really long chat with Pak Tinggal, not only heard his experience and burden of life, but also his hope and how we can help him further with his condition today. Yet, we still hope that Pak Tinggal will accept the government offer so the future would not become too horrible for him and his family. It is since his old age and gradually he would not be able to support the family anymore, what with his profession as a scavenger.

Anyone out there who read this story and willing to help, anything you give, anything you want to provide, everything will be very much appreciated. This old man, who can be said support his poor family alone is in need of our gracious help. He hoped for a safe place for his family to live together under one roof. They hoped they would not be separated into an orphanage and to a nursing home, as suggested by the Social Service. They wish for a simple house where they could stick with each other and having no fear to be driven away every single day.

Our visit on this month charity was not not to Pak Tinggal family only,but also visiting once again Semara Putra Orphanage in Klungkung. We gave the children a large television for their entertainment. At the orphanage, we did not meet with Ibu Gunasih, the foster mother at Semara but a representative there to accept our donation. There were also almost no children to be found since all of them accompanied Ibu Gunasih in a Tokoh Magazine event in Denpasar. After this orphanage, we headed back to our office in Denpasar, with more comprehension and understanding that there are people who have worse suffering and that despite their condition they still fighting and struggle to live.

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Tags: disabled, family, gianyar, old, poor

Category: Families, Supply Donations