Victim Of Layoff Becomes A Scavenger To Survive In Bali

The adverse effects of COVID-19 on Bali’s tourism-based economy left many locals without a job. Among the victims of lay-offs, a 22-year-old man from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Santa, finds himself working as a scavenger to support his family. 

Santa was previously employed in housekeeping at a hotel in Jimbaran. Along with many coworkers, he was left unemployed since the inception of the global pandemic in March of 2020. 

Living in the slums of Nusa Dua along with his family, Santa decided to take action rather than waiting around for a miracle.

“I’ve been doing this for 10 months, at first I had nothing to do when I lost my job at the hotel at the start of the pandemic, but after few weeks I decided to do this,” Santa said during an interview at his residence on Thursday (11/2).

Apart from being a scavenger, he also utilizes empty land behind his residence to plant corn, onions, and vegetables to put towards his cost of living.

A music video produced by Erick Est is set to release on February 14^th, 2021. The song titled “Is’it tears or is’it blood”.

The song was created by two musicians, Ras Muhammad and Octav Antrabes in collaboration with the Voice Of Bali, with the aim to portray the social and economic issues in Bali during the pandemic.

The video was taken in several areas such as Kuta and the slums where Santa lives.

Once the videography was complete, director Erick Est met with Santa and gave some food for his family to help then in this difficult time.

“It’s so sad to see the condition of most people in Bali, so we must act and do something to help them to ease the pain,” Erick concluded.