The burden Sri carried and how it was lifted
In a quiet, rural village in East Java, Sri wakes early each morning to begin her farm work. A devoted mother and wife, she balances life as a housewife with hard labor alongside her husband, Sutikno.
Sri farms both rice and onions to earn income for her family
For years, one of the heaviest burdens Sri carried was the lack of a toilet and safe water at home for her family. For sanitation, they relied on a simple pit latrine that was unsafe, unhygienic, and especially difficult to access during the rainy seasons when it overflowed.
Their three children—one married and living independently, one at boarding school, and the youngest just starting 1st grade—represent Sri’s pride and her daily motivation
As for water, Sri found the time and energy she spent collecting water to be exhausting. Multiple times a day, she carried buckets of water from a distant communal well. When the well ran dry during the dry seasons, Sri bought water from a vendor. Both options cost Sri time and money, but her family needed water.
Communal water wells in Indonesia are one way the country tries to improve rural water access, often managed through community-based programs
Everything changed when Sri joined a local organization and partner to Water.org called PNM Mekaar. PNM Mekaar helps women and their families in need get access to small loans so they can start small businesses or access education and training. Recognizing the importance of water and sanitation access to help families improve their health, incomes, and lives, the organization also offers small loans for long-term household safe water and sanitation solutions.
"Now that I have water...everything is running smoothly."
Through a local PNM Mekaar representative, trained by Water.org, Sri learned about the Mekaar water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) program. With a small, affordable loan, she was able to build a pour-flush toilet with a septic tank and connect her home to a safe water source. About these life-changing improvements Sri shared, "Now that I have water...everything is running smoothly."
Sri finds the small loan for her water and sanitation solutions to be affordable explaining, "the payments are manageable"
Now, Sri’s family has safe water, a toilet, and the health they bring. Water flows nearby freeing up hours Sri once spent hauling water home. “Before, everything felt so hard,” she shared. “Now, we have peace. We have health.”
Go here to read more inspiring stories of how small loans for safe water and sanitation solutions help empower women like Sri to also change their families lives for good.
