micro-enterprise and life skills
Trash Turned Into Dollars - Indonesia
Click the image above to watch the video
CBN.com - INDONESIA - To Agus Tholib, life did not exist outside the garbage dump where he worked everyday.
"I used to wake up at 5.30 every morning and left for a nearby dump to collect plastic bottles," says Agus.
The family sold the plastic to a recycler and made only a few dollars a month. This covered the rent for the 12-foot square shack where they all slept.
"My dad does manual labor, and my mom sometimes helped supporting the family by picking trash too."
Operation Blessing Indonesia learned about a group of families living and working on the dump. They made it possible for the children to go to school. For the first time in his young life, Agus began to dream.
"I want to do well in school, so one day I can learn to be a pilot and fly airplanes," he says.
But when Operation Blessing started talking with Agus’ mom and dad about leaving the dump—they weren’t so sure.
"All I knew was trash picking. I did not know any other ways of earning money," says his mom.
But with a little encouragement, training, and some start-up money, Operation Blessing was able to help Agus’ mom start her own grocery business.
"I’d love to see my children have a better life than we have--doing more decent work than picking trash," she says.
"My hope for my boys is that they will do well in school. Seeing them succeed in school would make me very happy," says Agus' father.
Now Agus and his little brother are thriving at school, and Agus no longer has to spend his days working at the dump.
“I love going to school. I can read and count now. My favorite subject is math," says Agus.
"I have been running this shop for a month now, and we are starting to see the money come in. I am so glad we don’t have to pick trash anymore," says Agus' little brother. "With the money from the shop, we can now pay the rent and provide food for our children."
"I am so thankful to Operation Blessing that put me and my brother in school. And they also helped my parents start a grocery shop," says Agus. "Thank you Operation Blessing. May God return many blessings on you."
It’s commitment… It’s love… It’s faith that God can do the impossible — that’s helping CBN's Operation Blessing change lives. You can be a part of this amazing ministry by partnering with CBN. Just $20 a month gives people like Agus get the help they need. You can make a difference all over the world. Become a partner today.
For more stories like this one, sign up to receive the WorldReach Newsletter from CBN.com in your email .
