Living on a dump

18 juli 2017

A couple of days ago I arrived in Jakarta. Extending my visa and in the meantime, in the 4 days that I had to wait I decided to spend it on a dump. Bantar Gabang, the biggest dump/landslide in south east asia.

Wherever I go I try to make clear that I'd like to visit local social projects. A friend told me that I might like to visit a project on a dump, BGBJ. Where children who live on a dump get English classes, music classes and the children have a safe place to stay.
So I left friday evening took an Uber together with the founder, Resa (a girl who grew up at the dump) and after two hours we opened the door of the car and the intense smell of the dump was there. "This is it!" said Resa, I was litterly overwhelmed by the smell. It was 22.00 at night so I coudn't see the dump. But I trusted on my nose that we were there.
(It takes about 10 minutes to get used to the smell, after that only sometimes a new wave of fresh garbage comes along that has a strong discusting smell)

The next morning I could see everything. A nice house that can accomodate 4 guests they even have a small gym. The garden and rooftop are the places where children come to have their workshops and relax. The house and garden are painted with a ton of colours especially pink (it used to be a project from PLAN, because I'm a girl) The view is on one side green with crops and tree's and on the other side the dump mountains that get higher and higher every single day. Every minute of the day since they don't stop working, trucks filled with junk keep coming from Jakarta and people keep working trying to find whatever they are looking for.

Saturday we went to a school where BGBJ paid schoolfees for a girl who otherwise dropped out. We saw many children who joined us and wanted attention, unfortunatly my Indonesian skills are very poor.... so, nothing works better then making funny faces! Right?! :-)
In the afternoon other volunteers came and after a nice lunch (I never had eaten so good on a dump before) I went for a walk around in the neighbourhood to see how these people are living in or right next to this dump. Some houses look very good, some houses look really bad! Everytime I looked up to the dump mountain I saw people working and machines riding back and forth moving the dump.
All people I met were smiling and seemed so happy. The children I met were playing football and having a good time. People seemed fine but isn't it only making the best out of the situation they are stuck in? Or do some people actually choose to be in this situation?

Sunday funday, I didn't knew what to expect but the children were in the garden since 8 in the morning. So I talked a bit with them and played Uno.
When a group of volunteers arrived for a day the english class started. The children were going wild on "head, shoulders, knees and toes" what a lot of fun these children had!
A music class with the local popstar (allll the girls are swept of their feet by him, he is a singer and good guitar player) after a while about 30 children were singing with the local popstar.
Later I left for a walk on the dump mountain to meet the people that sort the trash. People collect plastic bottles, cans, paper, etc. Edkar (Resa's brother) keeps telling me that this is not a dump mountain but a gold mountain, you can find many valuables in the mountain and so many people make their money out of this dump. Edkar is the middle man who buys dump, if needed fixes it and then sells it again in the city Jakarta.
On the dump I met a lady she works every night on the dump, together with 17 other ladies. I was told that ladies coudn't work in the jungle at night when I was in Sumatra... but ladies on the dump is apperently ok...
The lady has been working in oil for quite some years but choose to move to Bantar Gabang to work at the dump, her children have good jobs in Bali but she refuses to hold up her hand and ask money from her children.
A guy I met told me that he works 7 days a week, 7/8 hours a day, has 3 children and makes 110.000 rupias a week (about €8,- a week!) Indonesia is quite a cheap country to live in, but I don't know how they do this, how they manage to feed their kids and live their lives from only €8,-!

Monday I helped one volunteer, he is an electrician and he is going to help with all the electricity and lightning in BGBJ. So I got my electrician skills up... sort of... or should I say cleaning skills....
One of the kids helped me when I was cleaning, this happy little guy, 9 years old and he comes regular to BGBJ, can't imagine how it is to be in his shoes.

Today, tuesday, I improved my electrician skills a bit more and we went up the dump mountain again. Today we saw many children on the top of the dump/gold mountain as well. It felt so bad to see the children on the dump helping their parents do their job.
A lady told me her son will go to school in 2 years when he is 6 years old. Now he is helping her collecting plastic bottles. She earns 30.000 rupias a day, that is only €2,- a day!
Later I talked to a lady who is 65 years old. Working 7 days a week. She has been working here for 30 years. She is so strong not only fisically!! I'm so impressed! She has 3 grand children. Her own children are working on the dump as well. So will her grand children follow her footsteps?

Seeing this mountain grow day by day makes me aware of all the junk people throw away, how polluted the world is and how much I have bought to (almost) immediatly throw away again. So I'll try to better my life. Also seeing these people work so hard for so little with their bare hands trough the garbage.
It didn't completly sink in yet.... So I have something to process tonight during my train travel to Yogyakarta.

Salamat TInggal (goodbye)
X Sabine

1 Reactie

  1. Claire:
    18 juli 2017
    Impressing this visit! Mooi verhaal, ook verdrietig! En je kunt er zo weinig aan veranderen dan in ieder geval bewust te zijn van wat ons leven hier in Nl waard is. We hebben het zooooo goed!! Xx