JAKARTA — Her footsteps grew stronger, carrying the weight of a dual responsibility as both mother and father, the backbone of her family. She is Maryam (50), a housewife struggling to support her family, especially her child who is now in high school.
Since her husband’s passing, Maryam has had to take on the role of both parent and breadwinner. The front porch of her home in Parung, Bogor Regency, serves as both a kitchen and a marketplace, forming the heart of the business she has built over more than two decades to support her family.
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Since then, her small business ventures began. She started by selling cilok, seblak, instant noodles, and eventually chicken noodles. She pursued these ventures with dedication, even though the earnings were often barely enough to cover daily expenses. She persevered. For her, the needs of her child, Raya, especially for school and household expenses, were the primary reason to keep going.
“Because I saw my child still in school, I decided that while her father was still sick, the only option was to sell things like this. Alhamdulillah, our sales helped support my husband before he passed away, and now they help support the children and cover household expenses,” said Maryam.
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Her husband used to own a workshop near their home, which was once the family’s main source of income. However, he fell ill and suffered for eleven years before finally passing away four years ago, leaving Maryam without the family’s primary source of income.
“I was just a housewife when we moved here because my husband was sick, so I decided to start selling things. Alhamdulillah, it’s been 20 years now,” Maryam added.
Even though fatigue often creeps up on her, Maryam never truly stops. She knows there is no room for giving up. Even when her body demands a break, she chooses to rest briefly without leaving her stall. She continues to run her small home business because she has no one else to rely on but herself.
Once, when her older sibling was in school, the tuition fees that needed to be paid all at once to take the exams left her in a tight spot. Amidst the slow business, Maryam had to borrow money. Even though it was from her own family, she still felt responsible to pay it back. Life isn’t easy, but Maryam chooses to persevere with all her strength and the love of a mother.
“It’s really tough, but I just have to make the best of it. What else can I do? I just keep going, alhamdulillah. No matter how difficult it is, if we’re willing to try, there’s always a way,” Maryam said, wiping away the tears that had fallen.
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Life slowly changed when Maryam joined the Kelompok Mitra Bager (KMB) (Bager Partner Group) in the Bakso Bager (Bakso Gerobak) (Bager Meatball) program from Dompet Dhuafa. Amidst the nation’s economic instability, this empowerment program was born as a solution for micro-economy players, including Maryam.
Maryam not only received business capital but also a year-long mentoring program. This included financial management or capital, hygiene, customer service, sales equipment, and the recipe that determines the unique flavor of the bakso.
Bakso Bager has brought a breath of fresh air into Maryam’s life. She is deeply grateful that her once struggling business is now showing signs of improvement.
“Alhamdulillah, I am proud and happy that Bakso Bager has come to help my child with school and meet our daily household needs. Alhamdulillah, this bakso also helps smooth out my sales,” said Maryam.But since Bakso Bager came along, alhamdulillah, there’s been an improvement,” said Maryam.
Previously, she could only earn around fifty thousand rupiah per day, but now her income is slowly increasing, enough to cover household expenses and her child’s school fees.
Maryam no longer sells just one type of food. Since adding meatballs to her menu, she has been able to expand her range of products. Although she still uses a simple table to sell her other foods, she remains enthusiastic and tidies up her space so that her meatball cart fits. Occasionally, she also delivers meatball orders to her neighbors, and now her strong steps are accompanied by a smile.
On busy days, she can earn up to Rp150,000–200,000 per day. Every day, she reinvests part of her earnings to buy ingredients, drinks, and snacks, while the rest is saved for the next day’s needs. A sense of relief now lingers on her face.
“Thank you to Dompet Dhuafa for helping me sell Bakso Bager to support my child’s education and meet our household needs. Thank you so much for helping my family. May Bakso Bager bring blessings and abundance, benefiting everyone, and may all Dompet Dhuafa donors stay healthy, live long, and succeed in all their endeavors,” concluded Maryam.
Behind all the simplicity, Maryam only hopes for one thing: that her business continues to thrive, which is her sole source of hope. Maryam doesn’t ask for much. She only hopes to stay healthy so she can keep selling. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Continue to support Maryam and other resilient mothers at https://digital.dompetdhuafa.org/zakat/ZakatIbuTangguh .
Text and Photos: Anndini Dwi Putri
Editor: Syafira