Those Who Made It
Most reports about the two million Indonesians working overseas usually involve their misfortunes. Migrant workers are often cheated and abused. Many become victims to human trafficking, with more than a few returning home in a coffin. But not all overseas work end in sorrow. In our special report, Tempo tells the stories of eight migrant workers who began their journey in hardship, but whose hard work and perseverance brought them success.
May 2, 2017
DWI Tantri, 49, a woman from Surabaya, has worked in Taiwan for nearly 10 years. Thousands of Indonesian migrant workers there call her by the affectionate nickname ‘Bunda’, or mother. Tantri is the person other Indonesian workers in Taiwan go to, when they find themselves in a predicament-if their contract is not renewed, their salary is withheld, or if they are treated unfairly at a factory.
Budi Firmansyah, 36, originally from Cirebon in
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