After finishing her high school, Lilis Ijali Sahidah went to Jakarta with one goal : to get a job. She met her friend that already working in a factory. It was a coincidence that the factory opened a vacancy in quality control. Lilis applied and not within a week, she was interviewed and accepted.

“I am so glad that I have a job now. I read in the newspaper and television that it is actually difficult to find a job nowadays. Even many of graduates are unemployed” said Lilis

n daily job, Lilis had to check the quality of products that will be sold, following the standard of the factory. Not far from her workplace, there is a can factory. It is becoming a habit that they (the workers) met each day and once, they (boys and girls) were flirting to each other and made jokes.

There was a guy name Sahrudin that always paid attention to Lilis, he was in love with her. Fortunately, Lilis had the same feeling to him. Time passed by, and so they became couple. It made Lilis happy and happier to go to work and also she started to do some savings.

For marriage, so we won’t make burden to our parents” she said with a little smile. And so they got married to each other. Unfortunately, after sometime married to Sahrudin, the factory that Lilis working there crashed and bankcrupt due to the monetary crisis. Lilis had to stay home while expecting her baby.Their first daughter was born, named Fitasari Nurazizah. It was so unfortunate that this happy moment had to be interfered by the closing of Sahrudin’s workplace, the can factory. Sahrudin had no more job. For daily consumption, they had to be depended on the small compesation that given by the factory. Sahrudin applied for jobs, however he was always rejected at the end.

It may be because I only have junior high school certificate, it is not enough” he said. The needs became higher and higher while they didnt have any income. Both were unemployed. One day, Lilis had a small job at a small restaurant. Sahrudin then became the one who cleaning the mosque. Fitasari was brought back to Garut, raised by her grandmother for a better living. Lilis changed jobs from waitress to SPG, however it didnt sustain either.

It is a very tiring job, we have to stand all day. I am afraid of having varices” Lilis gave reason why she quitted job as SPG.

hen Lilis became jobless again, until her neighbor who has small business in brownies, offered her a job as salesgirl. Lilis accepted the offer considering that she ever learned about marketing in highschool. She needed the money for food and house rent, as well as for her second baby she was expecting.

fter delivering the brownies to some shops, Lilis sometimes stopped by at her brother’s shop that sell ”kremes” (snackfood from sweet potatoes). She started to learn how to make this snack food, from the beginning to the end.

I see it is quite easy to make. And my brother said it is quite feasibile in benefit” Lilis said. And then she practiced at home, making her own kremes, using the money she gained from the brownies selling. First, she made 25 kremes in one jar. She put it at the shop near her rented-house. It was so unbelivable that not within a week, they were sold out. So then, she made two jars in the next day. One jar at the same shop, and the other she put at a shop behind her rented-house. And all sold out.”

The next day, Lilis started to sell her kremes while selling the brownies. The response were good. Orders came to her. However, it was so unfortunate that she could not completed the orders because of lack of capital, she didn’t have money to finance her orders. Then, one day, an empowerment program implemented in Warakas (the subdistrict where Lilis lives with Sahrudin). It was about to be “Yound and Independent” program.

Lilis became one of the beneficiaries, and she then received a grant to start over her small kremes business. She used the grant to buy raw materials and 2 dozens of jars.”I am now producing 16 jars of kremes per week. And my husband also joins me to sell it. Alhamdulillah, we are now having money to send to our family in Garut and enough for Mayafiona Sari, our second daughter,” she said, closing the conversation. (LHZ)