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Precious One: Listening to their voice
Precious One has made an impact on the life of its deaf employees by not only creating a job that can give them a decent income, but also by boosting their confidence in mingling with hearing people.
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Full of color: An employee of Precious One makes a paper doll. (JP/Indah Setiawati)
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t was a usual busy afternoon at the warm, old house of the Precious One handicraft foundation in Kembangan, West Jakarta. Although the employees had their hands full, cutting patterns and sewing to create educational tools ordered by a client, they exuded a friendly vibe.
The employees, most of whom are hearing-impaired, have become used to the presence of media and visitors. The founder of the foundation, Ratnawati Sutedjo, was the one who created the bridge between the employees’ silent world and the hearing community.
She is literarily the heart of the foundation. At times when they needed to ask something about the products, they would immediately approach her and talked with her in sign language.
“I still revolve around disability issues,” Ratna said when asked about her current activity.
Precious One or P-One for short, now in its 12th year, has made an impact on the life of its deaf employees by not only creating a job that can give them a decent income, but also by boosting their confidence in mingling with hearing people.
Piping is one of the employees who have gone through a transformation in terms of communication and working skills.
“I could not communicate in sign language before I joined P-One,” Piping said as translated by Ratnawati.
A hard worker at heart, Piping now can communicate using a simple sign language and is one of the skillful employees who can create various meticulously embroidered products such as necklaces, which require patience. Although he has worked full time in the workshop, he has not entirely left his old job as a recyclable trash collector.
“We like to collect plastic bottles and the like and give them to Piping. Here, we support those who want to develop their other skills. Some like to sell snacks while others like to help their relatives sell homemade food,” Ratna said, adding that not long ago, she ordered food and snacks from some of the employees for her birthday.
Read also: Video: Precious One: Listening to their voice
The former secretary of a private company believes that people from the disabled community can produce quality work, so they also deserve to get a chance in the working world and appreciation. That is why she applies a high standard in producing handmade products and endlessly urges private companies and governmental institutions to open their doors to people from this community.
“These are an order from Iwan Tirta,” Ratna said, while proudly showing a couple of fabulous batik cushion covers made for the country’s premium batik house.
Precious One may be a small foundation, but with around 20 employees, it manages to complete not only individual orders, but also bulk orders from around the country and overseas. To create steady orders, Ratna not only regularly designs new, marketable products, she also expands her business network.
“It’s my job,” she said, smiling.
In April, Precious One moved to a new location called the Rumah Inspirasi. Located on Jl. Taman Meruya Ilir Blok D1A/8 in West Jakarta, the new home welcomes visitors who want to know more about the community.
For more information on Precious One products, please log on to http://shop.precious-one.com
