From Rags to Riches

"I don't want to burden my children, I have to stand on my own feet. Although I earn just a little money now, I am happy," Photo: Mercy Corps

An Indonesian organization in Jampang Bogor, West Java has found a unique way to earn extra income and thanks in part to a small grant from Mercy Corps what started out as a hobby has turned into a small business.

Using discarded materials that come from rag shirts, a waste of product of a nearby shirt factory, members of the Yayasan Gamping Sumber Rejeki organization produce doormats that have earned praise while also generating income for their communities.

"I started learning how to make doormats in 1997. My student taught me how to make them. He also makes doormats in his spare time as generate income," said Achmad Djarkaesih, chairperson of Yayasan Gamping Sumber Rejeki.

"While I have been making my own doormats, I have also taught a few people in the village who were also interested," he said.

The enthusiasm of his neighbors led Achmad to conduct a training program. When the program needed money for materials like scissors, pens, and yarn, Achmad and friends decided to submit a proposal for a small grant from Mercy Corps.

After the proposal had been approved in November 2000, Gamping started training 100 villagers to make doormats.

"We have criteria in selecting our participants," said Ade MS, Administration of Gamping. "We prioritize those who need help, like widows, unemployed, poor families or women households."

All of the participants are given access to loans from a revolving fund system. "But, the loan given is in material and equipment for doormat production, not the money itself," Achmad explained. He mentioned that every person had 210-kilograms of rags shirts from the textile mill. It is worth about Rp 420.000. The repayment should be made within 10 months.

Two kilogram of rags can produce 5 doormats. The average time needed to make each doormat is one hour. "I make 7 doormats per day," said Ibu Masnun, one of the participants. "It is great activity. I can make them at home whenever time is available. I enjoy the creation of the doormats," she said showing some of her doormats.

According to Achmad, the current design is limited. From the rags, one can make other products, such as carpets, blankets, tablecloths and linings. "We need more lessons on how to develop designs and forms," he said.
The organization collects all the products from the participants and sells them to wholesalers and markets in Bogor.

"The organization has helped us to sell doormats so we don't have to think about where to sell our product," said Ibu Mardiyah, another participant.

Ibu Iyung, wife of a street vendor that sells household goods, confessed that she really feels assisted since she joined the training and now she can make doormats. As a trader, her husband had no fixed income. He could bring in Rp 6.000 to Rp 20.000 a day and sometimes he didn't get any money. In 2000, her husband suffered a stroke and he has not been allowed to carry heavy weight on his shoulder. Because her husband stopped working, Ibu Iyung now has to earn money. Fortunately, three of her five children have already married and can give her some money.

"I don't want to burden my children, I have to stand on my own feet. Although I earn just a little money now, I am happy," said Ibu Iyung, who earns Rp 250.000 per month.

"The community members here wish to get better income from their products. That's why we need to develop new design, motifs and also improvement quality for our products," said Achmad, adding that doormats and other product from rags shirt has good potential. "There are more people have registered to get training in doormats. In the near future, we will also try to establish a cooperative for the people here, so that there are more opportunities to get loans and also savings."