Over half of Indonesia’s 235 million people are poor. Most struggle to survive on less than US$2 a day and about 18 per cent live on US$1 or less.
In the 1970’s Indonesia experienced economic growth accompanied by progressive social development. Then during the South-Eastern Asia crisis 1997/98 the Indonesian economy came close to collapse. Before the crisis, 16.8 per cent of the country’s families were officially classified as poor. At the height of the financial upheaval, the proportion of poor households in the country doubled. Using the $1-a-day measure, it is estimated that more than 80m Indonesians are in poverty.
Although Urban areas were hit the hardest they also recover the quickest, Millions of small farmers, farm workers and fishers are materially and financially unable to tap into the opportunities offered by years of economic growth. Approximately 60 per cent of the population live in rural areas where agriculture is the main source of livelihood.
Most of my time through Indonesia was to urban centres in Java - Jakarta and Bandung mostly… so here are a few photos to remind us how grateful we should be even be able to read blogs, because the people in these photos are just grateful to make it through the day. Today is blog action day, so share this post and give generously :-D
—-> donate here
The pedicab driver / Tukang becak lives on the streets, servicing for cheap and just making enough to eat, he works hard with only jandles for his feet. He looks about 50 - but probably just 30, thats what happens when your day starts everday at 5:30. Whether is pissing rain or hot, no passengers is when he stops.
The Nuptial Agreement is the most important event in the second day of the wedding ceremony. It’s the agreement between the groom and the bride’s parents and an agreement between the groom and God.
This ceremony can takes place in the bride’s house or in the Mosque. It is called the Akad Nikah. My cousin had his at a nearby mosque.
The bride and groom are seated next to each other with a selendang or veil covering their heads indicating two people but having one mind.
The make up and everthing looked like hours work, kinda over the top, nonetheless, traditional. I reckon wouldn’t even recognise
Mbak Wulan on the street if this was the only time I meet her.
check it out, its offical..
I arrived in Bandung during election fever. The Regional General Elections was on this month and the other day (22/4) the Regional General Elections Commission (KPUD) confirmed Ahmad Heryawan and Yusuf Macan Effendi, AKA Dede Yusuf, known as Hade, as the elected Governor and Deputy Governor for West Java (the total West Java population is 41 million). This article suggests why they won
Old, young, poor and poorer, Im sure the majority of these people in the rally were getting paid in some way to participate. The streets were crazy, but then again, its always crazy. I was lucky to get caught in the middle of it.
www.batagor.com
siomai and batagor feat. teh botol
sudanese food
home made cakes
SATE (satay)!
teh botol (bottled tea)
here are some fotos from around bandung. my favourite city in indonesia, got the good and bad, mostly good though.
Gedung Sate
paris van java
“distros” (independent clothing companies) everywhere
Persib Bandung
biker gang
mosquitoes of the road
waste mangement
storm drain / trash bin
shoes; stolen, fake, real?…cheap!!
singing bird business
and if your looking for the real thing, hit up a FO = factory outlet…when you see ‘made in Indonesia’ that means you can find cheap in bandung
u can buy anything from the road, even bubbles
need smokes? no problem 
fresh fish!
up in the hills past dago, bandung is even more beautiful at night
Braga city walk
sundanese (not the african sudanese type) restaurant
nice name doc
homes
