Thank you for helping my family

Meet Niaman, a farmer in Indonesia who you support through ALWS.

Niaman says…

“Before CDRM&CDS’ [ALWS’ local partner] support we struggled to feed the family.

If we wanted to have food and vegetables we would have to buy from the market, but we didn’t have enough money. We ate just rice. I felt my heart was crying because all I could feed the family was rice with salt and water. I was often thinking ‘how can I feed the family? We don’t have enough money to buy what the children need. We need to work for other families like slaves on their rubber trees just to survive.”

Thankfully, Niaman’s story changed when she started to receive support from our local development partners CDRM&CDS.

Niaman joined a Farmer’s Group supported by CDRM&CDS and learnt modern farming techniques. She was taught how to prepare the land, how to build raised seed beds and collect good seeds, and how to make compost and organic fertilizer.

Niaman says…

“Now I can grow my vegetables and do not have to buy from markets. And often I have more of some vegetables like beans or chillies so I can sell to other villagers and get some money. I grow chillies, beans, mustard leaves, corn, eggplant, tomatoes and kangkun – my favourite! [water spinach]. I love my garden!

I feel so very happy because when I want to use vegetables in my cooking it is already there! I don’t need to go and buy, especially when we have not much money.

This means I can have money for sending the children to school.

Now we can have a variety of vegetables and not the same every day! The children get nutrition from the vegetables. I thank the people of Australia for helping my family to make the garden.”