Empower Women | Protect the Planet

When we first met Ina, she had unkempt hair, a very sad face and was wearing a pair of worn out sandals. Ina’s father had died when she was a little girl, leaving her mother to raise four children.  The family survived on a meagre income from their widow mother growing vegetables and selling them.  

As soon as Ina was old enough to work, she went to  work as a domestic helper with different families in the big city of Jakarta. With little education, Ina did not earn much but whatever she earned went to help her family and also put her younger sister through  school.  Often Ina was mistreated at the homes where she worked and had no recourse to get help. Her family also feared that she might be trafficked, being so far away from where they lived in a small village in Central Java.  

When she came to work with us, Ina was very shy and had very low self esteem.  However, she proved to be not only a quick learner but excelled in her areas of responsibility.  Over the years of working with us, Ina became much more confident and now has a happy countenance.  Ina not only helped her sister to finish high school, but also saved enough to get married, and now she has a 6 year old daughter. Ina likes making FAVE Bags as she is not only able to earn money but also spend time with her daughter while making the bags.  

Ina recently gave birth to her second baby girl. With 2 children to feed, Ina depends even more on the income she makes from FAVE bags.