We all love food. But have you ever paused to think of the point from which the food you eat begins its journey to your plate? Probably a farm is the starting point. Whether it’s that bag of chips you enjoy popping or the nutritious juicy fruits you love, a farmer somewhere put in the work to ensure there is food on your plate. We all depend on these food heroes, but their work often goes unnoticed.
Ellin Kustianasari lives in Temanggung City in Indonesia. Her mother is a farmer.
After participating in a session during the 2022 GPW webinar Series on women, environment and peace, she realized that the well-being of farmers in her community have been neglected. She wanted to do something to appreciate them.
“I wanted to start a farmer self-care initiative,” Ellin shared.
After a careful research, Ellin decided to involve her mother to better understand the lives and needs of local farmers. She learnt that although farming makes famers happier and healthier, they often experience a myriad of challenges including fatigue and the risks of physical injuries.
“I thought of providing psychological support to farmers who are experiencing such problems,” Ellin said.
Ellin decided to provide the farmers with personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, and creating a brochure that contained motivational messages and information on how farmers can better care for their bodies in the line of duty in order to decrease injuries and maximize working time.
Ellin worked closely with her family, involving her mother (Mak. e), Sister-in-law (Mbak-), 2 nephews (keponakan ), 2 cousins(sepupu) and her brother. While her mother assisted her in designing greetings card for the farmers, her sister-in-law helped her to source for mineral water and bread which they would supplied to the farmers. Her nephews and cousins enthusiastically ran errands during the the whole project. Ellin’s sister-in-law commented on the benefits of serving as a family, “It teaches these kids to have a sense of humanity and gives them memories that they can look back to.”
On June 17th, 2022, Ellin and her family embarked on the gift-giving journey starting with the farms closest to her home. The farmers were delighted and blessed them for their generosity. “No one has ever done this type of activity in my community. We became the initiators and I wish that in the near future, God give us more fortune, so that we can extend this love to more farmers,” she reflected.
We applaud Ellin and her family for supporting the farmers in her community.
If you have a Sunshine Family Volunteer story to share or your family wants to start a project, email younshim.park@globalpeacewomen.org.