Ni Wayan Widiani, known as Widia among friends and family, was born and raised in Julah village, Tejakula. As the oldest of three children, she has found that seniority always comes with a weight of expectations and its own challenges. Widia has a younger sister in high school (in the 10th grade) and a younger brother in elementary school (in the 6th grade), with their lives closely connected under complex conditions. Their father, a truck driver, works tirelessly to provide for the family daily. Their mother, equally determined, crafts brooms and coconut oil to sell to neighbours, although the income isn’t guaranteed.
Life has not been kind to Widia’s family. Her brother, suffering from cataracts, required expensive surgery which required additional procedures with additional costs when it turned out that her brother’s eyes wouldn’t fully recover.
Widiani and her entire family live in a one-bedroom house with an open kitchen that relies on firewood, and extremely poor toilet facilities. Despite their dire living conditions, they do not feel ashamed about their reality.
After graduating from Bali Mandara Vocational School (the best vocational school in Bali, known for its discipline and quality education), Widia decided to enter the workforce. She landed her first job as an administrative assistant at the Koprasi (a very small bank in the village). After a few months, she was hired as a project administrator by the village government, responsible for keeping track of the building materials required for government-sponsored home repairs. In addition to her daytime responsibilities, Widia took on an evening job selling kebabs after wrapping up her work for the village government.
Despite coming from a low-income family Widia never stopped dreaming about continuing her education. To achieve this, she set aside some of her hard-earned income.
Despite the numerous challenges and enduring hardships, Widia never lost her drive to ensure her siblings could receive the best education. For this reason, she continues her own education at Amisewaka – DLCC and aims to work in the tourism industry. Widia believes that the doors to her success are beginning to open, and in the future she will be able to assist her parents in improving the family’s financial situation. Her story represents why Amicorp Community Foundation founded Amisewaka – DLCC, because we believe that her efforts and sacrifices will bear fruit one day, and that her family will one day live under better circumstances.
