“I want to have a store and do selling like mother” Siti Khorimah (girl 7 years old) whispers in soft voice. Being shy, she tries to hide her face in her mother’s lap. That is her answer when being asked what she wants to be someday. Maryani, her mother, smiles to her youngest daughter’s dream. “Indeed, my fermented soya bean cake (locally called tempe) production is increasing after I join DPO ‘Ngudi Lestari’ last year”, Maryani acknowledges. From 3 kg soya bean, she now needs 10 kg soya bean to meet the existing market demand for tempe. Beside making tempe, she also has a small store where she sells various daily households’ needs and basic commodities like rice, beans, vegetables, eggs, snacks, soap, tooth paste, and many more. Concluding her benefits, Maryani explains several entrepreneurship trainings and small stimulants that she receives from YAKKUM Rehab Center through the DPO (disabled people organization) Ngudi lestari and how it does increase her small business. Under cooperation with CBM New Zealand and New Zealand Embassy, this program is aimed at strengthening livelihood capacity of people with disability and their families and sustaining their social role in the society. This is designed based on assessed constraints faced by people with disability within their respective society. They are often marginalized from the fulfillment of basic rights such as education system and livelihood activities as they are considered lacking of abilities. It creates endless cycle of problems because such exclusion widens the gap and people with disability becomes more vulnerable and apart from the resources for increasing their capacity and accessibility in fulfilling their basic rights. Having a child with disabilities creates a worry to Maryani. “I am sad every time Siti asks me why her face looks weird in the mirror. She likes playing outside with friends but sometimes she comes home with sad face asking why she is different, not alike her friends with normal eyes, “ Maryani goes on. Since born, her daughter is blind in one eye and has her right hand paralyzed. She has taken her daughter to various medications including traditional healer. After receiving routine massages, her hand is little bit better as it can grow normally even though it is still weak and not moveable. Now Siti is already at elementary school. She is lucky because her physical condition does not limit her to study at school.Other children with cerebral palsy in the same district where Siti lives are not as lucky as Siti.
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