Is Working as Migrant Worker

the Only Choice?

A welfare and prosperous life is everyone's dream. He or she will try hard and and use many ways to have prosperous life. One’s ability to get welfareness is influenced by his/her way of thinking, knowledge, skills and inner spirit.

Some success stories of Indonesian Migrant Workers (TKI) abroad provoke some Sumba youth to have such desire to do the same way as a migrant worker to improve the families’s economy. But the desire to work overseas has not matched with sufficient knowledge and skills that enable them to have global competition.

Some factors that provoke people to be migrant workers covering some points, such as, family economy condition that cannot afford the daily needs, family internal problems that push them to go abroad and become migrant worker as their escape, a mindset that they will get more money outside Sumba, and low education level due to school drop out.

According to National Statistical Centre of NTT province in 2015, there are 88,446 unemployed people. Then it may be the reason why young people take shortcuts to look for job outside Indonesia. The question is whether being a worker abroad, usually as a housemaid or a labourer is the only option.

Smart to find local potencies

Actually, observing the nature of East Nusa Tenggara carefully, each region has its own uniqueness and charms. Sumba, one small island in NTT is so rich in resources such as agriculture, livestock, plantation, weaving handicraft, local foods, beaches, forest, hills, waterfalls and so on. All these can be managed by youth of Sumba. Agriculture becomes strategic because food is the basic human needs such as rice, yams, vegetables and other foodstuffs.

In addition, livestock, especially buffalo and pigs become important because they are required in custom. It opens wide opportunity for livestock breeders. Further, Sumba traditional woven cloth showing Sumbanese women with fine talent for weaving that is highly appreciated according to the motives as depicting level of difficulty. Also the beaches with their variety of uniqueness of the waves, cliffs and colors of the sea water and sand, complemented with local-dish of corn rice, roast pork and ‘manggulu’ snack.

Concern from government and church

Local government and church should give concern to this issue. The local government in Sumba should take initiative to do village-based community empowerment, open alternative jobs, facilitate agriculture-based entrepreneurship and promote creative products of community.

Church can provide a forum to empower congregation with support and assistance through trainings   which cooperate with other synods or institutions, such as sewing or weaving Sumba cloth that begins  rare due to low interest of young Sumbanese to do it. In addition, church credit union funds can provide loans as capital to open businesses to improve family economy.

So, is working as a migrant worker still the only choice? (Feberiana Leba Taga).