Growing up in a rural village in central Java, Indonesia, 62-year-old Kusnidah never finished primary school. Despite her parents’ hard work – her father in the rice paddies and her mother a housekeeper – poverty meant they couldn’t afford the fees.

Kusnidah married and lived with her husband in a crowded slum in Jakarta. He worked as a driver, while Kusnidah stayed home with their young children. One by one the children hit school age, and the couple found themselves having to make a heartbreaking decision. Eldest daughter, Ikaniawati, had to drop out of primary school.

My husband’s income was not enough.”

^{Kusnidah and her husband live in a crowded slum in Jakarta, Indonesia}

Meals were simple – rice, vegetable soup, sometimes tempeh. “I couldn’t afford to buy chicken or meat.” Clothes were held onto as long as possible, and there was no running water in the house.

But the biggest tragedy came when Kusnidah’s son Asep got sick. “His lips looked so pale. He used to drink a refreshing drink for a sore throat, so I gave him that. He went to sleep over at a friend’s house, and then that night, he threw up a lot. His friends gave him water and milk and rubbed his back, but he was beyond help,” she says. Asep passed away, aged only 16.

The condition we were in pushed me to do something,” she says.

^{Kushnidah sits in the doorway of her small home where she sells nasi uduk}

Having heard about the small loans being offered by Opportunity International Australia’s local program partner in her area, Kusnidah applied. She received her first loan – Rp.1,000,000 (A$98.47) – enough to buy pans and ingredients to grow her own business selling nasi uduk, a savoury rice dish made with coconut milk, ginger and lemongrass.

The family’s income tripled. “I started to earn more money for school, transportation, everything,” says Kusnidah. “I had been in the situation where I struggled to pay school fees, but after [the loans], I was always able to pay them.” 

^{Kushnidah with her husband, son, his wife and her granddaughter.}

Today, Kusnidah is proud of the business she's been able to build with the help of a small loan - selling nasi uduk to her community - and the struggles she and her family have overcome.

"I’m proud of the fact that it’s been 30 years since I have been selling food here. Just the same as [my eldest son's] Eeng’s age. Everyone knows my name. They call me Ma Eeng, and they don’t know my real name. They only know Ma Eeng because I’m Eeng’s mother," says Kusnidah.

Her son Eeng, who is 32 years old, has since graduated from senior high and works in a factory and as a motorbike driver. He and his wife, Diana, have had two kids including 4-year-old Medina, who Kusnidah hopes won't face the same hardships as she did getting an education. Incredibly, Kusnidah's youngest son Fauzi is now even in university, where he is studying Sports Science and writing a thesis.

^{Kushnidah hopes for a brighter future for her granddaughter, Medina}

My children’s lives have changed a lot,” says Kusnidah.

Of her children and grandchildren, Kusnidah beams with pride. "I couldn’t be prouder. Alhamdulillah, my kids always listen to my words. They went to school, it’s mama’s struggle. Dad provides what he has, but mama wants them to go school and have a good education."

To support more families like Kusnidah's and help us see an end to global poverty, for good, consider becoming an Opportunity Waymaker. Your monthly giving can help transform lives for families living in poverty globally.