Bali survivors help each other<\/p>\n
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
The power of friendship and solidarity has helped four women who
\nlost their husbands in the Bali terrorist attack on Oct. 12,
\n2002, to face life again.<\/p>\n
Luh Erniati, Warti, Ketut Jontri and Wayan Rastini, gathered
\nin a dim room in a house in Pemogan subdistrict, Bali, on
\nSaturday, said compassion and friendship from a number of
\nAustralians had helped them emerge from their nightmares.<\/p>\n
\"I first met him in Sari Club but lost him there too. I felt
\nGod had been unfair to me for taking such a lovely husband from
\nme,\" Erniati, 32, said.<\/p>\n
Her husband, I Gede Badrawan, was the head waiter of the Sari
\nClub, the popular nightclub targeted by the killers.<\/p>\n
Erniati's charred and mutilated body was identified by DNA
\ntesting two months after the attack, which killed 202 people.<\/p>\n
\"After that I went back to my home village of Lemukih in
\nBuleleng in despair. We have two little boys, aged nine and two.
\nI struggled to meet their needs and cope with the loneliness and
\ngrief,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The other widows nodded sympathetically and the room grew
\nsilent. They were all familiar with emptiness, loneliness and
\ndespair.<\/p>\n
Warti, 24, had only been married for five short years.<\/p>\n
\"I remember him every day, all the time. Almost anything
\nrelated to him can trigger my memory of him, from a football
\nmatch on television -- his favorite sport -- to an ice cream
\nvendor passing in front of our house.\"<\/p>\n
Her husband Faturrachman worked at an ice cream parlor in
\nKuta.<\/p>\n
When the women fell into almost total despair, David Wedd, an
\nAustralian philanthropist, handed them a rope to hang onto.<\/p>\n
\"He visited us regularly to give donations, such as daily
\nneeds, medicine, and clothes. Eventually, he decided to offer us
\nthe chance to work together, to heal together,\" Rastini, 31,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
With the help of his Australian friends, Wedd refurbished a
\nrented house, installed several sewing machines and established
\nthe AdoptA Garment factory.<\/p>\n
He recruited women widowed by the bomb attack to work in the
\nfactory for around Rp 600,000 each per month.<\/p>\n
\"He also helped our children obtain scholarships for their
\neducation,\" Rastini said.<\/p>\n
Six widows are employed at the factory. Another 15 attend
\nmonthly gatherings or weekly exercise classes at the building.<\/p>\n
The building had been transformed from a workplace into a sort
\nof psychological catalyst for the widows, a place where they can
\nshare their burdens and encourage each other.<\/p>\n
\"We are always busy talking with each other here. Our favorite
\nsubject is our husbands, and there are also no secrets here. I,
\nfor instance, know for sure that Warti dated her late husband for
\nonly five months before they rushed into marriage,\" Erniati said
\nas she poked Warti's arm.<\/p>\n
They are quick to burst into laughter when they discussed
\nprivate topics.<\/p>\n
Their togetherness has helped the widows stand on their own,
\nbrushing aside the nightmare that almost crushed them.<\/p>\n
The widows are a living testimony of people who refuse to
\nsuccumb to an act of terrorism.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-survivors-help-each-other-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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