Dubbed Southeast Asia's biggest landfill, Bantargebang in Bekasi, West Java, has been a center of attention of philanthropists for years. For Resa Boenard, a 36-year-old activist and founder of the Seeds of Bantar Gebang (BGBJ), it was a childhood home.

Resa spent her childhood in the vast area once dominated by paddy fields before her family decided to move back to Padang, West Sumatra, after spending around two decades in Bantar Gebang.

Often bullied by her schoolmates in West Java due to the lingering smell of trash on her, Resa initially strove to become a doctor.

"I wanted to help a lot of these poor people, and [my younger self felt] that being a doctor was the only way to do that," said Resa. "Since the age of 6, I have lived in Bantar Gebang. I know exactly the lives of children in Bantar Gebang."

Resa later realized that there were other ways to help the children in her community. In April 2004, she started the precursor to BGBJ, which was then called Sanggar Satu Untuk Semua (One for All Studio).

"I used to feel angry with God. Why can't I become a doctor to help people? But then, I thought, maybe Allah wanted me to help with a different path, so I returned to Bantar Gebang [to teach the children]," said Resa, who spent a year focusing on educating the local children before encountering her own educational impasse.

"I had no money to pay for my diploma [so I could take it home]. That's how bitter life was. It taught me to be big-hearted."

It took Resa a year to finally be able to redeem her diploma and then another year to finally secure a scholarship for a degree in information technology. BGBJ provided only Sunday classes at the time because Resa had to go to campus for her own studies on other days.

The community now enjoys various activities in what was Resa's home for approximately 18 years. However, Resa spent the last year and a half under the pressure of an impending eviction.

"The land where I live right now can be said to be inherited from my parents. The compensation given will not be enough to rebuild this studio because [as an inheritance, the money] has to be shared with other family members too," said Resa.

Helping hands: Deemed the biggest landfill in Southeast Asia, Bantar Gebang attracts many philanthropists who seek to improve the lives of the local people in the area. (Pexels/Tom Fisk) (Pexels/Tom Fisk)

Artsy helping hands

BGBJ remained standing as of the time of writing. However, the parties that initiated the local eviction were pushing Resa to relinquish the rights to the land.

"During the past 1.5 years, the pressure of the eviction has really been upon us, but I'm sure there will be a lot of good people who will help us," Resa said.

It was around the beginning of this year when a trio of high school graduates in Jakarta visited Resa and decided to help the cause. The three, Alayka Seputra, Kayla Purba and Tiara Sudijono, founded Tunas Kembang (Blooming Sprouts) and tried to help in a way that was familiar to them: through art.

"I thought many of my peers and I had been privileged enough to have graduated from good schools, thus earning a quality education. However, many children in our country cannot even afford to enter school," said Alayka. 

"Ever since I was young, I understood how important good education was because it molds our mindsets and what we decide to do for our futures. Tiara and Kayla were also brought up the same way."

With Tiara acting as public relations manager, Alayka created 17 paintings to be auctioned for the cause, while Kayla did a documentary under the Tunas Kembang initiative. A portion of the sales goes to BGBJ as funding support. A series of 12 paintings called The Bloom, was created by Alayka after some visits to BGBJ.

"Although I was already aware of the situation in Bantar Gebang and BGBJ's initiative, I didn't want to risk creating any work before [visiting], for fear that I would misrepresent certain aspects," she explained.

The paintings in this series imitate the style of a children's picture book with vibrant colors and bold outlines. The series incorporates the story of BGBJ and how it bloomed into an initiative that has been trying to improve the lives of the many people of Bantar Gebang. 

In addition, Alayka created an acrylic painting titled Tales of BGBJ, which was also partially inspired by a musical album by Apocryphal titled Tales of Galilea, and a pen illustration titled Pahlawan Sampah (Trash Hero).

Art for education: The Tales of BGBJ painting by Alayka represents efforts being made to help children continue their education. (Courtesy of Tunas Kembang) (Courtesy of Tunas Kembang/Courtesy of Tunas Kembang)

"Because [we've seen more demand for the paintings], I've accepted a fixed amount of orders that I am currently working on. At the moment, the already made pieces are being sent out to the donors," Alayka said.

Meanwhile, Kayla created a short documentary that premiered during the Tunas Kembang exhibition in June. The eight-minute documentary, titled Blooming into Tunas Kembang, explains BGBJ's background and initiative and gives context to the birth of Tunas Kembang.

"I believe that the scenes that depict us communicating with the kids and asking them about their future dreams were the best. As Tunas Kembang focuses on the kids and children's education in Indonesia, especially for a better future, this segment should be favored as we see what the adolescents of Bantar Gebang aim to be in the future," said Alayka.

"For our movement, we believe that ideal expectations may become a reality when pushed."

Blooming optimism

Acting not only as an educational center but also as a shelter where Bantar Gebang residents can stay, eat and enjoy whatever entertainment is available, BGBJ is used to secure its own operating costs from the various services and products it provides, such as tours, hostels, cooking classes, workshops, upcycled products and so forth. However, these are not enough to secure a new property.

Despite the hurdles, Resa tries to keep the spirit up among the BGBJ community, sharing motivation and inspiring stories.

"I always try to motivate the BGBJ brothers and sisters: 'Guys, Resa went to college not because my parents were rich, but because I was willing to receive love and compassion from people who don't even know me,’" Resa said.

Joining forces: Resa Boenard (second left) and Tunas Kembang are working together to secure a new home for BGBJ. (Courtesy of Tunas Kembang) (Courtesy of Tunas Kembang/Courtesy of Tunas Kembang)

This saying goes for BGBJ's current struggle with funding as well. Resa plans to share more BGBJ stories with European audiences to push for more funds.

"I have a documentary that tells the story of my life in Bantar Gebang, about waste [management] as well. There will be movie screenings in December in the Netherlands, Paris, Austria, Germany and Switzerland because there are also people in Europe who care about BGBJ," said Resa.

"I will do whatever it takes to keep this place operational. The target is that in June 2023, there will be an opening ceremony for the new place."

On top of her organization’s partnership with Tunas Kembang and her European network, Resa has also established a KitaBisa and GoFundMe page for fundraising purposes.

"We are now open for collaborations with anyone who wants to help us with [our goal of rebuilding BGBJ]. We can't stop. When we have a dream, we have to try our best," said Resa. "Even if there is no money, this place must continue to exist."

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