Aleta Kuhuwael

Next stop, the nurse. A beautiful woman who welcomed us at her house with a big smile on her face. A face that turned serious as soon as Cici mentioned that we were going to take pictures of her. She looked us straight in the eyes and said she would be back in a few minutes. When she came back from her room she had put make-up on, her smile was brighter and she laughed really hard. It was amazing to see what make-up did to her confidence and comfortableness.
 

She sat down and we sat around her. It felt like we were having a conversation about her passion: helping the villagers of Kaibobo by providing them with healthcare. A passion that she has been practicing ever since she graduated in 2007. Now she works 24/7 to provide the people in the village with her help. Help or assistance that is being asked in case they are suffering from illnesses, hyperventilation or when a woman is giving birth. Even though she intends to help everybody, she sometimes has to send them to hospitals in Piru or Ambon in case they need more medical attention. When she talked about the latter, her facial expressions looked sad. Sad because she cannot always help out the people in the village on her own. “The fact that I am by myself worries me.”

 

In the meantime, her six-year-old daughter was watching television a few meters away from us. Her husband and one-year-old son were nowhere to be found. I have a good family and a good job. That is why my happiness is an eight on a scale from one to ten. But I really hope that tourists can come in the near future. That they can enjoy Kaibobo for its beautiful nature, culture and the children.” The children, who still play with plastic balls and tires. Not at all the same as in the city or in other parts of the world. Which makes the local culture and thus the lifestyle in Kaibobo even more unique.