Wiah’s story

Wiah, from Indonesia, runs a business selling her own banana chips and lantak—a crunchy cracker made from ketan (a type of glutinous rice), ginger and butter. She started her business twelve years ago with the help of a loan from Oikocredit’s partner Komida. Wiah is married and has five children. Two of them are now married, two are in secondary school, and the youngest is still in kindergarten.

She used the loans to buy ingredients and to pay rent for a rice field. To make the banana chips, she uses local Kapok bananas. Some she grows herself, while others she sources from nearby farmers. Wiah doesn’t own a phone, so she sells her products entirely through word of mouth. During Ramadan, she can sell her banana chips for up to six times the cost of the raw ingredients. Her crackers are sold to warungs (small family-run cafés) and delivered by motorbike couriers. 

In addition to the rented rice field, Wiah and her husband also own a small plot of land and a garu—a machine used to plough the rice fields. Her husband earns extra income by offering ploughing services to other farmers. 

The loans from Komida have brought positive change to their lives. “Thanks to the loans, I’ve been able to increase my production and raise our family income. We can even save money now,” Wiah says. Her dream is to one day undertake the Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In the meantime, she stays busy supporting others in her community and helping them connect with Komida too.