Bayung Lencir is the name of this small and remote village in South Sumatra. Their daily activity are collecting rattan and felling trees, but all those activity still could not fulfill their economic need. They sell the rattan and tress’ log far below market price. Living in the river side in their raft houses also have given them consequences such as lack of education, had no social interaction, bad sanitation and hygiene.

On September 2002, Heifer Indonesia worked with a project partner Pandu Insani has begun a project in Bayung Lencir . The project activities are livestock, farming, build a self-supported school, trainings, meetings, had loan-saving activities among the members of community-based organizations (CBOs) and collaboration with the officials in Bayung Lencir.

One of the participants is Anam Suroto. Anam Suroto, 56 years old is a poor farmer with a wife and his 3 children. Before joining the communities-based organizations he has no vision of what will he and his family achieve in the future.

His CBO’s name is Harapan Bersama meaning ‘our hope’. At first the CBO begin with 20 members. Anam is just an ordinary participant like the others. Attending trainings or meetings and receiving livestock. But his motivation rebuild as he saw how he and the other member could move forward from their current life at that time. Not just helping his own family, he also motivated because he had chance to help other family in need through ‘passing on the gifts’.

Receiving livestock in 2003, he already implements passing on the gift (PoG) on 2004. Now he is not just an ordinary participant. He already considered as motivator and conducted as group leader. He also helps facilitate group meetings and active in trainings.

Having a new way of life in his well renovated house, Anam did not enjoyed the gifts he had by himself. He dedicated his life to serve as the only teacher for 4 classes and 59 students from all elementary ages in their community self-supported school.

The CBO, Harapan Bersama, now had developed into 40 members, 25 of them had done the PoG to the other CBO near Bayung Lencir. They also no longer collecting rattan and felling tress because they had farms and livestock to take care of and more benefited to them. The  officials of Bayung Lencir had given them land space for farming. And as they developed into new way of life, others values such as women participations, social interactions and self-reliance occurs among them.

Harapan Jaya keeps challenge their self. Cornerstones internalization, making the CBO as a place to do loan and saving activities, optimizing farming and livestock potential and increasing quality of education for them and their surrounding villages are their next goals.

In 2005, Anam Suroto (55) received Golden Talent Award (GTA) from Heifer International. The GTA is given to recognize and honor individual participants in Heifer International projects for outstanding achievements. Winners have gone beyond what is requested and passed on more gift animals than required, served their community in exceptional ways, or achieve outstanding success with their projects. The GTA honors achievements, as well as giving incentive for projects participants. Each year, Heifer International Foundation gives out 25 GTA. (norma)

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