Ordinary citizens of Lio

Sources of income
As a source of income, many of the women in Lio make money by selling products made by textile. Normally you can make about four blankets pr. month. This will be an amount of a total 60 000 Rupiah. Some of the women also bye fish and sell it on the markets. The women are strong and hard working. Most women in Lio spend the majority of their time on a diverse series of activities, including weeding and harvesting, collecting animal fodder, water and fuel wood, food processing, all of which make a direct economic contribution to the household income. Women in Lio can also play an important role in politics since they are able to vote.

On the other hand, men also play a big part in the social community. Men have different roles, as a fathers, economic providers, and community representatives. The men in Lio are working as farmers, which also make an important economic contribution to the household income.

The economic distribution, however, is unequal among the citizens. Some people make more money than others do and this creates confusion and bitterness, which in the long run can cause conflicts and riots. Teachers and people working for the government earn more. How much money you make also depends on the level of education and how many years you have been working. In some aspects, religion can have an impact on economic development. We were told that the priests sometimes contribute with financial support if someone is in a difficult economic situation. However, they decide who can receive help and who can’t. There have also been examples where the priests have built residences for students.

Children

A married couple normally has three or four children. The number of people living in the same household is bigger and quite large. A typical family could have 10 family members altogether living under the same roof. Children are of important economic value. Many women have children because children’s labour is valuable in itself and also may release them from work. Another important aspect is that children provide parents with security in old age.

Level of education
Education is a very important aspect talking about development. As stated by The World Bank, ‘ Education greatly strengthens women’s ability to perform their vital role in creating healthy households. It increases their ability to benefit from health information and to make good use of health services; it increases their access to income and enables them to live healthier lives. It is not surprising therefore, that a child’s health is affected more by the mother’s schooling than by father’s schooling.’

We were eager to find out more about the level of education, especially among women. What we were told was that the level of education among women was much lower compared to that as of men. Some of the women didn’t have any education at all. Others just finished elementary school. The men on the other hand had finished junior high school and senior high school.

Health care
In a district of limited resources like Lio, it is not easy to have access to a safe and professional health institution. There is a small hospital in the area which is run by the government. If this hospital can’t help the patient, they have to go to the district hospital in Ende. The most common health problems in the region are malaria, influenza and infections.

Participation in ceremonies
People normally participate in at least nine major traditions and four ceremonies annually. The sacrifice of animals, together with food processing, result in a lot of money spent and long working hours. Since religion is such a big part of their lives, most people are okay with spending much money on ceremonies. On the other hand, there are also people complaining about it.