Sukaryo Adi Putra and Heni Mustikaningati Dedication to Serving the Neglected

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Sukaryo Adi Putra and dan Heni Mustikaningati

Serving people with mental disorders (ODGJ) who are neglected is the life’s call of Sukaryo Adi Putra (44) and Heni Mustikaningati (35). Since 2007, the couple from Kudus regency, Central Java, has been taking to the streets to care for ODGJs.

Adi and Heni first interacted with neglected ODGJ in 2007 in Tayu city square, Pati regency, Central Java. They met the ODGJ, talked with them, fed them and helped cut their nails.

During their activities, the couple had to rid themselves of their fear and disgust because not a few of the ODGJs were dirty and smelled. In addition, some were also aggressive and tended to attack people who approached them. In fact, somse ODGJs carried sharp weapons, such as knives, machetes and iron bars with pointed ends.

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The attacks they faced varied from being kicked, beaten, spat on and scratched. On Saturday (5/2/2022), a wound on Adi's neck had still not healed. Adi was scratched by one ODGJ who attacked him on being approached. Meanwhile, Heni has also been beaten and spat on by ODGJ. Even so, the two never held a grudge.

Every time they started a meeting, the two, who have three children, always greeted and shook hands with the ODGJ. They believed offering a handshake was the most effective way to convey the message that they came with love. Not infrequently, they hugged the ODGJ. Heni addresses ODGJs as “dear” to make them feel comfortable.

"The majority of ODGJ who initially attacked, after they are cleaned and fed will apologize and say thank you," said Adi.

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Sukaryo Adi Putra bathes people with mental disorders in Responsharjo Village, Responsibility District, Grobogan Regency, Central Java, Saturday (5/2/2022).

Initially, Adi and Heni did not document their activities with the ODGJ for uploading to social media. Over time, the idea of publicizing their activities emerged. The hope is that the ODGJ’s families might watch the footage and recognize them.

Looking for their families

The Sinau Hurip YouTube channel, which Heni had originally created to document the activities of children with disabilities, has been converted to document their activities with the ODGJ. Heni and Adi took turns taking videos of their activities using their cell phones. Over time, they were assisted by Amirul Habib Aqiqunnawa as their cameraman and driver.

The term Sinau Hurip means learning to live in Javanese and was chosen to reflect Adi and Heni’s aim to continue learning from life. As of Tuesday (15/2), the channel had 675 video uploads and more than 883,000 subscribers.

This is because ODGJ’s dialect and diction can provide a clue as to the where they came from and help narrow the search.

Since 2020, the couple has been able to identify and reunite 96 neglected or abandoned ODGJs with their families. To do so, they are careful about exploring the backgrounds of the ODGJs they meet. They must be really sensitive to the words spoken by ODGJs. This is because ODGJ’s dialect and diction can provide a clue as to the where they came from and help narrow the search.

The process of finding ODGJs’ families takes a long time and is not easy.

One day, they met Ruminarti in Pati regency. The couple had cared for Ruminarti for five months, but have not gained any clues regarding her origin. Several times, Ruminarti mentioned the name of a village. On googling the name of the village, they found it in Banyuwangi and Ponorogo, East Java.

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Sukaryo Adi Putra and Heni Mustikaningati chat with people with mental disorders in the Village of Responsibility, Responsibility, District Grobogan, Central Java, Saturday (5/2/2022).

"From her accent, it's not like the Banyuwangi accent, but we're still not sure if it's from Ponorogo. Then one time she said the word diunyerke [turned around]. The word comes from Javanese and I know what it means. By browsing on the internet and asking friends, I finally found out that the word is often used by Javanese who speak the Mataraman dialect, such as in Madiun, Ngawi and Ponorogo," said Adi, who works as a school counselor.

They posted a video of Ruminarti on Facebook groups in the three areas. Not long after, someone recognized Ruminarti, whose family was looking for her. Finally, they were able to reunite the family with Ruminarti, who had been missing for 12 years.

“The peak of our happiness was when the ODGJ is recognized and their families want them back. It's a pity because they are on the streets, especially female ODGJ who are vulnerable to sexual violence,” said Adi.

Initially, Adi and Heni used their personal funds to cover all costs of caring for, treating and returning ODGJs to their families. According to Heni, they never charged a single rupiah for their activities, including when taking an ODGJ back to their family. In fact, the families of ODGJs are often located outside the city, even in a region outside Central Java.

After six months of regularly uploading videos of their activities on YouTube, advertisements started to come in. The income they made from these advertisements now supports their activities such as treatment, buying clothes and shoes and taking the ODGJ home.

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Heni Mustikaningati cuts the hair of people with mental disorders in Kuwaron Village, Gubug District, Grobogan Regency, Central Java, Saturday (5/2/2022).

Apart from advertisements, they are also supported by a number of donors, the majority of who are YouTube viewers. Not only domestic donors, they have also received donations from abroad, such as from Brunei Darussalam.

For their activities, Adi and Heni received the Satya Lencana Social Service award from President Joko Widodo on 20 Dec. 2021. The award was not necessarily their peak achievement, and the couple is determined to continue serving marginalized people while raising publicawareness about taking care of ODGJ.

Sukaryo Adi Putra

Born: Pati, 4 Oct. 1977

Education:

- SDN Ngemplak Lor elementary school - SMPN 1 Tayu junior high school - SMA 1 Pati senior high school (1993-1996)

***

Heni Mustikaningati

Born:Pati, 25 June 1986

Education:

- SDN Pangkalan elementary school - SMP I Margoyoso junior high school - MAN 02 Pati senior high school - Bachelor in psychology, Muria University, Kudus (2019) - Master in Clinical Psychology, Soegijapranata Catholic University (present)

Children:3

Award: Satya Lencana for Social Work from President Joko Widodo (2021)

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo)