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'Mami' Vera dedicates her life to caring for people with HIV/AIDS
Liliek Sulistiowati has cared for people living with HIV/AIDS for 30 years at her Abdi Asih Foundation in Surabaya, East Java, but its finances are in dire straits amid the prolonged pandemic and is threatened with eviction.
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Free education: An 'ustadz' (Islamic teacher) regularly visits Abdi Asih Foundation to teach the resident children how to read and recite the Quran, for free. (Jurnal Dolly/Courtesy of Bintang C. Putra )
T
he paint on the house with the black fence looks peeled and weathered, ravaged by time. But within those walls are merry children creating a boisterous atmosphere. Founder Liliek Sulistiowati of the Abdi Asih Foundation, a shelter for children living with HIV/AIDS, often sits with the children, watching them play.
When The Jakarta Post visited the home in the last week of April, however, things suddenly went from calm to tense. A household assistant screamed, breaking Liliek's serene gaze, and reported that a child had gone missing. Liliek immediately began calling the child's name, but there was no answer. Hastily, she mounted her motorbike and drove through the village, looking for the missing child.
"Oh no! That child has to take medicine later at 7 p.m. I'm dead," she said, holding back tears.
The tension lasted around two hours. Luckily, a neighbor spotted the child playing in a park 1 kilometer away. Liliek rushed there, crying as she embraced the child.
"Mama's heart was about to stop, you know. Alhamdulillah (blessed be God),” said Liliek. “Now, off you go, it's time to take a bath,” she told the child.
Affectionately called “Mami Vera” among those who know her, Liliek has been providing a safe space for people with HIV/AIDS since 1987. She has moved from place to place for the last 30 years due to various problems: home evictions and the increasingly stifling cost of rent.
Liliek decided to dedicate her life to caring for people living with HIV/AIDS after she witnessed a violent event that still haunts her day and night.
