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Meet My Friend Ramli
Eight months ago, I was chilling on the beach in Gili Meno when a kindhearted man approached me, selling pearl necklaces. Being my usual self, I asked if he could make me a custom one. Without hesitation, he said, "No problem." As he worked on the necklace, we started talking, and I learned about his life.
Ramli takes the ferry from Lombok to Gili Meno every single day to sell his handmade jewelry. This is his only source of income to support his entire family and they used to be homeless. By the time he finished my necklace, we had already become good friends. Before he left, he said, “If you ever come to Lombok, you must visit us.” I promised I would.
A Brand and a Friendship
Weeks passed, and when I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about him. As a designer, I realised I could help bring his craft to a wider audience. I FaceTimed him with an idea: Let’s create a few necklaces for my friends. I didn’t want to raise his hopes too much in case it didn’t work out, but I wanted to create a brand for him. It was the rainy season in Indonesia, and he was incredibly grateful for any income at all.
I sent him special beads with instructions, and he made them with such precision and care. Then he mailed them back to me, but by the time they arrived, I was already traveling again. So when I finally ended up in Lombok, I HAD to visit him—and I have never in my life experienced such generosity and warmth.
The Most Generous Man Who Has Nothing
Ramli and his family welcomed me with open arms. They prepared all the food they had, including two fish they had specially bought for me—something they could never afford for themselves. They waited until I was full before even considering eating, no matter how many times I asked them to join me.
That night, they insisted I stay at their house because they didn’t want me driving in the dark on the motorway. Their home barely has a roof, but they made sure I was comfortable. They had one matching sheet set—where the blanket matched the pillow—and they put it on the mattress on the floor just for me. It broke my heart, but at the same time, it showed me how incredibly kind they are. They have so little, yet they went out of their way to make sure I had the best they could offer. In the morning they woke up at the crack of dawn just to bring me breakfast so I don't leave on an empty stomach and Ramli's wife gifted me her sarong, and they sent me away with about 40 bananas from their tree. When I tried to give them money, they refused, saying that friendship is more important.
Despite having so little, Ramli is always helping others. He once told me that when his neighbor’s daughter’s school shoe broke, he used the last of his savings to buy her new shoes. When his daughter was born, he couldn’t afford the £25 registration fee and had to borrow money from friends—yet he is always the first to offer help, even when he has nothing.
A Life Without Pizza or Elephants
One day, I asked Ramli and his family if they liked pizza. They looked at each other and said, "We’ve never tried it." They simply couldn’t afford to. Another time, we were looking at a picture taken in the Lombok Wildlife Park, just five minutes from their house. Ramli’s family and his father, who is 82 years old, has never seen an elephant in his entire life—because they could never afford to visit.
To thank them for their generosity, I took them to the Wildlife Park. Watching Ramli’s father see an elephant for the first time in his life was an unforgettable moment. The joy and wonder in his eyes made me realise just how much we take for granted.
How You Can Help
Thanks to our first drop of necklaces, Ramli was able to pay for his son’s school for this term. But there is still so much more we can do. Ramli rents an electric bike, but because it doesn’t have a number plate, he can’t travel on the motorway to visit his brother on the other side of the island. If we raise enough, we can help him buy a proper motorbike so he can reunite with his family. We can ensure his son’s education, and maybe—just maybe—he and his family can try pizza for the first time in their lives.
Ramli and his family have given me so much, and now I want to give back. If you can, please contribute—let’s make a real difference in their lives.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
You can also shop Ramli's necklaces here:
Organizer
Henrietta Seregi
Organizer
England