Kiva Stories from the Field

by Cissy DeLuca, KF8 Indonesia

At TLM, there is an informal uniform code for each day of the week. Mondays are for blue shirts, Tuesdays are for orange, Wednesdays we wear green, Thursdays the staff wear the TLM batik and Fridays are for custom made blue and white shirts. On the back of these shirts reads, “Give your heart to love, Give your hands to serve.”

Roni, a TLM loan officer, in the field

In previous experiences working in the development sector, I noticed many NGO and government workers often treated villagers in a manner I found less than acceptable.  Nurses would be verbally, and sometimes physically, abusive towards the mothers who came for monthly baby weighing services. Berating them for not forming a proper line and rudely hurrying them along as they removed the carefully chosen outfit they had dressed their baby in for the event. NGO workers would breeze into a village unannounced in their private air-conditioned SUVs acting like their time was more valuable than the community’s time. Rudely expecting the village to scurry for a chair, fresh water, a translator and accommodate all their needs. Development work serves the purpose of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, but these people widened it with their social behavior. In short, these situations broke my heart and greatly discouraged me.

Working with TLM has been a a breath of fresh air and reminded me what development work can, and should, be all about. Their strong Christian affiliation really shows in their demeanor. They treat their clients with dignity, respect and kindness. They are very patient when gathering and explaining information and do not take a condescending approach. (more…)