HALMAHERA, NORTH MALUKU — Halmahera is one of the regencies in North Maluku with a mountainous landscape around it. Halmahera’s natural wealth has made the region the location of two large gold mines located in one of the districts, Malifut.
However, this does not guarantee the welfare of the people, most of whom are Tobelo tribe, especially in the economic sector. One of them is Grandma Sehe (80). She is a strong elderly woman from Tafasoho village, North Malifut, Halmahera. Sehe continues to work as a clam seeker in the mangrove forest located very far from her house.
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Although this job is her only source of income, Grandma Sehe can’t do it every day. This is because she has to take care of her husband who has been ill for the past 10 years. She earns no more than Rp15,000 per day. For a month now, she and her husband have not eaten rice. Sweet potatoes and bananas are what Grandma Sehe relies on to satisfy her hunger.
The scars on Grandma Sehe’s face show how long her life has been. But she still faces it all with a beautiful smile. The Dompet Dhuafa team visited her residence and brought her rice. Soon, she cooked it. Grandma Sehe ate the rice only with water.
“Live alone, who wants to see torang (us), it’s been a month without eating rice. It feels like the tears are continuing. People must be prepared. Last year we got (qurbani meat), half of it we cooked and the other half we sold to buy kerosene and spices,” he said with a smile.
Grandma Sehe was the beneficiary of the qurbani meat from the Tebar Hewan Kurban (THK) 1440 H Program. The qurbani meat was distributed through Dompet Dhuafa’s livestock center located in South Jailolo District, Halmahera, North Maluku.
Although she can only eat meat occasionally in her life, Alhamdulillah, thanks to the generosity of the donors, Grandma Sehe not only eats rice with water, but can also eat meat on the Day of Sacrifice. With Dompet Dhuafa, your qurbani is brought closer, your qurbani is delivered to remote areas of the country. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text: Hany Fatihah Ahmad
Photo: Dedi Fadlil
Editors: Dhika Prabowo, Ronna