Southwest Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara — Life has always been modest for Ester Nenggokaka. She sells vegetables in the morning, then returns home to care for her two children. Though living with many hardships, Ester never stops striving to give her best.
“My life has always been hand-to-mouth,” she shared when we met her this week in Southwest Sumba.

Ester is the mother of two children, including Lorensius Aganta, her two-year-old son. Just nine days ago, when her family began receiving meals through the Free Nutritious Meal (Makan Bergizi Gratis, or MBG) program, Lorensius weighed only 7 kilograms—a weight far below the healthy standard for his age.

“Before my son got the free meals from the President, his weight was just 7 kilograms,” Ester said. “I don’t know what his weight is now because it hasn’t been checked again since he started getting the free food.”

Though no official weighing has been done since then, Ester believes she can already feel a difference.
“When I carry him, he feels heavier—just a little, but I can tell,” she said. She’s looking forward to the next health check at the local community clinic (posyandu) to see his progress.

Every morning, Ester arrives at 7:30 a.m. to collect the MBG meals, which are distributed at 8:00 a.m. She knows the menu by heart: eggs, fish, meat, tofu, tempeh, and a variety of vegetables like carrots and green beans.
“My children eat it all up,” she said proudly.

Behind her gratitude, Ester holds a deeper hope. She doesn’t just want the MBG program to continue—she hopes it will be a doorway to broader change.
“I hope President Prabowo can help improve our lives going forward,” she said. “Whatever support he can offer, I would be very grateful.”

Ester lives in a house without electricity and owns no land. But since the MBG meals began arriving, she no longer feels completely alone. The nutritious food that fills her child’s plate each morning not only eases hunger—it feeds a growing hope that life, little by little, might get better.