A tsunami survivor, Isniar is now known as the much sought after “garbage queen”

Aceh. Isniar, 42, a resident of Jabi Hamlet, Lhok Timon Village, Aceh Jaya, is a survivor of the 2004 tsunami disaster. One of the ways this owner of a small roadside coffee shop was able to recover from the disaster was to recycle plastic garbage into useful products, such as household decorations and bags made from coffee packaging.

The knowledge of this woman, who has four children, was greatly enhanced through training provided by ESP and Oxfam at the beginning of December 2007, and a comparative study trip to the ESP working area in Bandung West Java.

Isniar’s extraordinary eagerness and dedication were noticed, and she was selected to become village facilitator to assist other communities in Aceh Jaya in waste management program. In Jabi hamlet alone, the making of handicrafts from plastic garbage is done routinely in 4-hour sessions held once a week.

Isniar’s schedule is packed. She just finished assisting members of women group and teachers in Lhoong District on managing household plastic waste. Next, she will train women in Meurubo District, Aceh.

No matter how busy she is, Isniar never gets tired of teaching people. “Let’s make garbage into extra income,” she says.

Agus Elia Nova, ESP-NAD