Suwati

Suwati’s distinctive voice broke the silence of a narrow alley on the outskirts of Banjarmasin, as she pushed along her cart full of a variety of “jamu” herbal drinks. Suwarti is known by the locals as “ibu Jamu” or the Jamu lady. She starts to push her jamu cart hawking around her neighborhood every 4pm. With this discipline and routine, Suwati knows where to stop and greet her regular customers, which become friends. just who to stop and offer her herbal drinks to because she already has regular clients. Each glass of the jamu costs IDR 5,000 (US$ 0.30) and 15,000 (US$ 1.00). Inherited from her ancestors, the skills of making jamu herbal drinks was not only a source of income for Suwati and her family, but also proving that preserving local knowledge and cultural wisdom can also be valuable economically. Supported by Amartha, Suwati can carry on with treasuring the cultural riches of Indonesian medicinal drinks and social connection that comes along with them.