Ria’s Resilience from East Nusa Tenggara in Pursuit of Higher Education

Ria lives in a village in East Nusa Tenggara with her five siblings in a modest family. Sharing a small house with three households has made her accustomed to sharing space as well as dreams. Now in junior high school, Ria continues to pursue her education, believing that school is the best path to improve her life and her family’s future.

Ria’s father works in the fields to earn a living, despite having a hand that is disabled and not fully functional. The farm’s yield is insufficient, so her mother contributes as well. Every week, her mother makes ‘jagung titi’, a traditional NTT snack made by pounding and roasting corn until crispy, and sells it at the market. From this small business, the family earns around IDR 400,000 per month, an amount insufficient for the large extended family living together.

In addition to school, Ria helps her parents by cleaning floors, cooking, and doing laundry. Living with three families increases the workload, but she carries it out patiently. Amid her busy schedule, Ria reads books, a hobby that also expands her knowledge.

She often faces educational challenges. Sometimes she goes to school without breakfast or pocket money, and even her study materials are lacking. Despite these obstacles, she continues to dream of becoming a teacher, so she can share knowledge and help other children in her village continue their education.

“I want to keep going to school so I can make my family happy,” she says with determination. This simple hope drives her forward.

The Human Initiative Sponsorship Program (Orang Tua Asuh) supports children like Ria to stay in school. The assistance from foster parents helps maintain their motivation and gives them confidence to pursue a better future.

Everyone can participate. By contributing through solusipeduli.org, we can nurture children’s courage to keep learning and ensure that their hopes continue to grow in remote areas.

Name anonymized to protect the privacy of program rights holders.