When Diana Timoria’s friend died while working illegally overseas, Diana decided to take action. Hailing from the island of Sumba in eastern Indonesia, Diana had seen many teenagers from poor economic backgrounds in her area deceived into falsifying their identity in order to meet the age requirement to work abroad. Working illegally, many fall victim to undocumented crime. As many as 67 illegal workers from the region died abroad in a span of six months in 2021.
With poverty rates around double that of the national poverty rate, the people of Sumba Island live on less than US$1.90 a day. The province is one of five that contribute the most illegal workers in Indonesia. But Sumba is also known for its intricately woven ikat textiles. One piece of ikat can be valued at 2-4 million rupiah or US$130-262. The challenge is bringing buyers to sellers.
Timoria started a youth weaver community in her area called the Kandunu Community, producing ikat to both empower women and raise awareness on the risks of illegal migration in her community. The group includes young women and men as well as the elderly who share their knowledge, skills and history of weaving. They also spread information on the risks and scams associated with illegal migration.
