ROTE NDAO, EAST NUSA TENGGARA — ‘I can’t hear people not being able to eat. And this I saw first-hand, it makes me feel very sick to see people struggling to eat. Moreover, she takes care of her children at home alone. This is the first time I’ve seen people struggling to find food and it makes me very grateful. I think they really deserve qurbani meat,’ said Ocha Nugraha (28).
Yes, travelling can be interesting and meaningful for the traveller. Some do it because of the desire to visit a new place, cure boredom with the hustle and bustle of daily routines, look for the meaning of life, or just fulfil a hobby and even become a profitable activity.
One such traveller from West Jakarta, Ocha, had the opportunity to explore her new journey with Dompet Dhuafa to Rote Island in Rote Ndao Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). What are the interesting experiences she found there? Is there any new meaning that Ocha gets for her life journey?
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The Beginning of Exploration
For Ocha Nugraha, all of the above is one in the same. Her love for nature has its own meaning and new discoveries. The hiker, whose real name is Siti Khaeriyana, has been travelling since 2017. The woman who has worn hijab since 2014, started climbing Mount Gede in Bogor in 2018 and has just climbed Mount Rinjani in East Lombok in early 2024.
But who would have thought that the third child of six children started the beauty of exploring the mountains from her interest in the world of modelling photography (people who pose for photographers or painters or sculptors). Her foray into modelling hijab photos when she was in high school led to a career in nature exploration.
‘I was interested in hijab modelling when I was in high school. From there, I gained experience, relationships and a hobby that paid off. It was only in 2017 that I joined the explore travelling community and started travelling to new places that I had never visited. The destination is still close by but I just found out, oh it turns out there are hidden good places there,’ said Ocha, enthusiastically.
‘Travelling turned out to be that fun. In 2018, I ventured into mountain climbing for the first time to Mount Gede in Bogor. Most recently, I climbed Mount Rinjani in Lombok. The world of climbing is very different from photo modelling. My relationships have broadened, I’ve met various people, the climbers are also very solid and it turns out that Indonesia is beautiful,’ said Ocha again.
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Door to Door
Journey after journey is made, meaning after meaning is found. Various impressions are absorbed to grow with maturity, becoming a variety of inspirations as learning. Ocha realises that a journey taken today is a knock on the door that will take him to another journey afterwards. The meaning is continuous and opens the door to other meanings afterwards which become a reflection of life stories.
As one of the influencers in the world of social media, support is pouring in. His friendly, cheerful and easy-to-mingle character has also sparked many parties to work together and spread benefits. Her exploration activities also began to enter the social-humanitarian world. Ocha has travelled to dragon fruit farms, environmental awareness actions, teaching in the interior and most recently he ventured to livestock farms ahead of Eid al-Adha in eastern Indonesia.
‘Until finally I met Dompet Dhuafa in 2023, joining the Ciliwung River clean-up action. There we were both made aware of the large amount of garbage, if the water rises, the garbage gets stuck in the trees, after that we were invited to see also the recycled garbage. Then in 2023-2024, I participated in teaching inspiration classes in remote Bogor with Dompet Dhuafa too. There I did not expect the school facilities there with the energy of younger siblings who were eager to access the right to education,’ said Ocha.
‘I slowly realised that my journey began to be often involved in good things too. Like ‘called’. This means that this is a benefit from our love and it is even more important if we can share this story and invite other friends,’ she said.
Travelling from Livestock Cage to Rote Island
At 00.00 WIB, Sunday (02/06/2024), Ocha was already at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Cengkareng, waiting for a plane that he would fly to El Tari Airport, Kupang, early that morning. The plane took off at 02.00 WIB and landed at 06.00 WITA. In Kupang, after filling his stomach with a breakfast of yellow rice, Ocha immediately continued his journey towards Tenau Port in Kupang. From Tenau Harbour, Ocha took a ferry to Ba’a Island in Rote for about five hours by sea.
‘For the people of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the waves to Rote are quite large. And yes, I felt it, the waves were incredible. Why go to Rote? Because this island is one of the outermost locations of NTT and one of Dompet Dhuafa’s qurbani distribution areas. We travelled by air, land, and sea,’ said Ocha, who predominantly travelled by mountain.
In Ba’a, Rote Island, Ocha Nugraha also visited the livestock barn owned by Uncle Kasim (47), one of Dompet Dhuafa’s livestock partners. They talked about the readiness of sacrificial animals, as well as Uncle Kasim’s journey in the world of livestock.
Telling Ocha, Uncle Kasim has been involved in cattle farming since he was 20 years old. He learnt about cattle from his family and started saving money to buy his own cattle. Starting from having two cows, Uncle Kasim now has more than 100 cows spread across several pens or breeders.
‘The term is cattle trader’s blood. For generations, my father, uncle and grandfather were cattle traders. Generally, local Rote Ongole cattle. So from the beginning, when I was 20 years old, I took part in cutting the skin, peeling it, collecting it and selling it. I saved the money and used it as capital to buy cattle, so that I could raise my own livestock and if there was a need to sell, I was ready. From there, I started to think about developing cattle as well as helping others through livestock. So in addition to my own cattle, I keep the cattle for other farmers, who can then share the profits when they are sold,’ said Uncle Kasim.
‘I share my knowledge of animal husbandry with them, taking good care of them physically and giving them vitamins. There are many farmers here too, if the harvest fails when they need money or school fees, this cow can be a solution. My principle is honesty and sincerity. It has been three years of cooperation with Dompet Dhuafa, hopefully it will continue as long as I live,’ he admitted again.
New Experience Checking the Quality of Livestock
That day at Uncle Kasim’s cowshed in Metina Village, Ba’a, the Dompet Dhuafa NTT team was also conducting health checks or Quality Control (QC) of livestock in preparation for Tebar Hewan Kurban (THK) on Eid al-Adha 1445 H. The animals were checked for readiness, including age, health, physical condition and weight. Ocha also witnessed and experienced firsthand the QC of sacrificial animals in Uncle Kasim’s cowshed with the Dompet Dhuafa NTT team.
‘This is the first time for me to get the experience of taking care of the cows, feeding them while interacting. Uncle Kasim also explained about cow health and I also took part in measuring the weight of the cow. What’s interesting is that we measure using a rope tied to a log, so we can measure from a distance, keeping it safe from the risk of cattle rampage too. After that we measure with a meter and count, if the count is correct then the cow is marked with spray paint as a sign that it has passed QC and is ready to be sacrificed,’ said Ocha.
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In a different location, Ocha also had the opportunity to visit Uncle Kasim’s assisted farmers in Oenggae, Pantai Baru. It is father and son, Bai Nusaba and Robin who have helped take care of Uncle Kasim’s cows for 10 years. He also grows gala-gala plants and lantoro leaves to feed the cattle.
‘I don’t celebrate Eid-ul-Adha, but I’m happy that Uncle Kasim entrusted us to take care of the cows and that we can earn money during Eid-ul-Adha or to supplement our needs. I usually feed the cattle with nutmeg leaves, it’s better fresh,’ said Robin.
Reflection on the Meaning of Travel
In addition to observing the QC process in the cage, Ocha’s blusukan trip continued to Deranitan Village, Southwest Rote District. It is the outermost area inhabited by the Bajo tribe on Rote Island. A coastal settlement with the majority of its livelihoods are fishermen. The area was also one of the distribution locations for the distribution of qurbani meat in THK 1445 H this time.
From house to house, Ocha met the owners. Ocha found residents with makeshift dwellings. Even the roof of his house was hollow and there was still rainwater leaking underneath. Ocha met a mother who picked legundi leaves. The mother had to find and pick the small leaves with permission in other people’s gardens, processed in the sun, dried for a few hours, wrapped, then could be sold. The wages earned from her picking were only around Rp35,000 – 50,000.
Ocha also met a convert mother, Hesti (34) with four children. Her husband is sailing and who knows how long he has been gone. Mrs. Hesti also told me that her fourth child had just been hospitalized and diagnosed with malnutrition. Seeing this, Ocha was unable to hold back tears. This brought back memories of her past, which had experienced a similar situation.
“I have six siblings, when I was a child, our parents had no money. Yes, even for food. Until my brother got sick because he didn’t eat and we only ate cassava. It reminded me of my mother’s struggle and that was only for her children. It’s a reflection of her story with gratitude,” she admitted again.
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“I came to places that are really far from the reach of aid, especially qurbani meat. It’s hard to even eat rice with vegetables. This is also the first time I have seen the QC process of qurbani animals. I didn’t think it was that detailed, it turns out that Dompet Dhuafa really prepares qurbani animals and maintains the trust of its donors,” explained Ocha.
Qurbani 3 Pasti
Dompet Dhuafa NTT Program Team and THK 1445 H Coordinator in NTT, Adi Fahmi Abdul Rafiq Zaenuddin Liliwana (32), also said that the distribution of qurbani meat in NTT targeted districts and remote areas including: Rote, Ende, Nagekeo, East Flores, Sikka, Sabu, South & North Central Timor, Atambua and Kupang.
“This year, we are preparing our team even more because there are several new distribution points for qurbani animals. Qurbani 3 must be male, must pass QC and must be distributed to remote areas of the country, in NTT to remote areas where some people have never even tasted qurbani meat,” Fahmi explained. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photo: Dhika Prabowo
Editor: Dedi Fadlil