|
 Mr.
Selamat Banten, 61 years old, is one of CAHV (Community Animal
Health Volunteer) of PARAS-a project partner of Heifer Indonesia
in North Sumatera-. He never finished his elementary school and
had experiences many kind of works.
Married to
Dariatik in 1984, they had 6 children (2 boys and 4 girls). In
1990 they moved to the subvillage of Tangkahan Telaga Tujuh with
his parent in law. But then he dissipated by his parent in law
because he had no job to fulfill his family needs (they are live
in his parent in law’s house). Being alone, he fined himself so
hopeless. Until the villagers build him a wooden raft in a land of
one of the villagers that allowed him to use his land.
In 2006, he began joined the program of Heifer Indonesia and PARAS
and had done so much for the community. As a CAHV, he is so
willing in helping the group members or the villagers’s livestock
by giving those help or information about livestock. He also had
organized groups of needy families to become breeders. Recently,
he had developed a book of herbal medicines as alternative
medicines for livestock to be used in the group. Few months later,
he had passed on 5 sheep to the other needy family in the other
village.
My Story
In 1990, I
moved to this subvillage of Tangkahan Telaga Tujuh, someone had
allowed me to live in his land and build my wooden raft in there.
Before, I had no dreams or hope to change the way my life is. I
surrender to the poor life of mine. So I work here and there in
every land of the other villagers who need hand to work on his or
her land. I do planting rice in planting season and harvesting in
harvest season. Between those times, I do laboring in a sugar cane
plantation about 50-100 km from where I lived. Back then, I keep
felt sad and in no hope at all.
My life begin to change after I received dialog and attention from
PARAS –Heifer Indonesia project partner-. In the beginning, I did
not care to the PARAS’ explanation. Because I have heard so many
times those sweet words frequently and all of them are just lies.
I considered PARAS is the same like the other agencies or
organizations, that is why when Mr. Sahyani from PARAS encourage
me to build a cage, I never build one. I do not want to be
disappointed. I always thought that there is no one that truly
care for the poor’s.
But after PARAS came with the sheep, I shock. When I received the
sheep, I have not yet built a cage. So that night, I put the sheep
in our house and by tomorrow we build a cage for them.
Since then,
friends from PARAS keep on coming to give us assisting in nurture
our sheep continually. We are encouraged to move forward and
having a new hope that there is a better life and we will be able
to help the other needy human fellow.
As time goes by, I develop a good relationship with friends from
PARAS. Through trainings and assistances from PARAS, we become
aware and realize about our condition and wanting to help the
others in need by taking good care of our sheep. I have and will
learn many things about sheep and I have dreams to be able to
develop a new kind of breeding.
“We have hope now. Hope that we will have a better life because we
seen that there are ways to achieve that. “ express Mr. Selamat
Banten. |
