West Java Civil Servants Renovate 18 Uninhabitable Houses in Garut via 'Poe Ibu' Programme
Civil Servants (ASN) of West Java (Jabar) have successfully renovated 18 units of uninhabitable houses in Girimukti Village, Cikelet District, Garut Regency. This was achieved through the ‘Rereongan Sapoe Sarebu’ or ‘Poe Ibu’ programme.
All renovation costs were sourced from West Java Provincial Government civil servants, who contributed Rp1,000 per person every day.
The results of the house renovations were personally inspected by the initiator of the Poe Ibu movement, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi (KDM), on Monday (7/9).
The 18 renovated units did not merely focus on structural repairs but also involved expanding the living space and adding representative facilities.
KDM noted that several previously renovated houses lacked proper bathing, washing, and toilet (MCK) facilities. Some even lacked independent electricity connections.
“So, this is not just about renovation but also expansion; previously there were no sanitation facilities, but now there are, electricity is now independent, and we have also constructed septic tanks,” KDM stated in his remarks on Thursday (10/9/2026).
Meanwhile, the West Java Regional Secretary (Sekda), Herman Suryatman, added that in addition to constructing bathrooms, the renovation of these uninhabitable houses also included repairing floors and walls, replacing roof tiles, and installing ceilings and glass.
All 18 housing units are now fit for habitation. Following a three-week renovation period, the significant changes were deeply felt by one of the homeowners, Enung.
“Alhamdulillah, I am so happy I cannot express it in words; thank you to the ladies and gentlemen for donating your sustenance to me. Thank you also to Mr. KDM,” she said.
As for its foundation, Poe Ibu is a participatory movement based on the principle of ‘gotong royong’ (mutual cooperation), upholding the local wisdom values of ‘silih asih, silih asah, silih asuh’ (loving, sharpening, and nurturing one another).