FROM THE FINAL PROJECT TO THE HEART: A SOCIAL ACTION TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE BERINGHARJO MARKET CARRYING WORKERS BY PHOTOGRAPHY STUDY PROGRAM STUDENTS

Starting from the student's obligation to complete the Final Project (TA), Rika Ramadanti (22), a student of the Photography Study Program (Prodi) class of 2016, Faculty of Recording Media Arts (FSMR) ISI Yogyakarta tried to record the activities of the carrying workers at Beringharjo Market, Yogyakarta. Rika gained various life experiences when documenting manual laborers in their old age. Simplicity, responsibility, resignation, gratitude, and not giving up easily are important records of daily events to be documented.

High social sensitivity made the 2016 Bidikmisi student choose to pursue the world of documentary in TA so that what he did could produce a little result for the community. Especially about the importance of being grateful for each other's existence.

Rika felt empathy when she saw these workers, whose average age is 45-75 years old, tirelessly pursuing their work, which is often considered lowly. From that sense of empathy, she began to think about how her TA work and her presence in documenting the daily lives of the Beringharjo Market pick-up workers could be useful to them. Gendong workers are not only a reflection of the traditional low-income profession in Yogyakarta, but also a social problem of how the government can provide welfare for manual and casual workers.

Of the four main objects to be documented, the results of the interviews were astonishing. Carrying workers who mostly come from Sentolo, Kalisono Village, Tinom, Bantar, Taruban Wetan, and Taruban Kulon, which are remote areas in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), have to travel tens of kilometers to earn a disproportionate wage. In one day before the Covid-19 pandemic, carrying workers could earn IDR 50,000 per day, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, carrying workers only earned IDR 7,000 per day. This has touched Rika's heart to try to help them with what she can do, namely by holding a fundraising event. Online.

Through Kitabisa.com, Rika raised funds for several days with the total funds collected of IDR 10,344,000, - to then spend on food packages for the gendong workers. The social action was sparked when Rika uploaded some of her photos on a social media page. In a short time, her uploaded photos and narratives were flooded with positive comments netizens which inspired Rika to conduct a fundraising campaign so that she could support the needs of the porter workers who have been declining during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 115 workers and three security guards were entitled to get basic food assistance from Rika and the rest were distributed to other people in need. At the time of distributing groceries, Rika was assisted by her classmates such as Oriza, Gaia, Tofik, and several other friends from the Photography Study Program. The distribution of basic food packages was held on June 15, 2020 and took place in the Nusa Indah Room, Operational Office, Beringharjo Market which took place safely and orderly.

 Mbok Boniyem (60), who had an eye defect since birth and did not receive a higher education, was not easily discouraged despite her physical limitations, so she was still able to pursue the profession of carrying laborers with enthusiasm and sincerity.

Rika herself hopes that the TA that has been worked on for approximately seven months can be useful for many people and most importantly, the Covid-19 pandemic can end soon so that the income of the carrying workers can return to normal. Similar activities are expected to be carried out by Rika Ramadanti's classmates from the Photography Study Program because in essence, journalistic documentary photos are produced because of social issues or problems and are conveyed back to arouse the emotions and empathy of the people who witness them. Thus, through journalistic photography, various positive things can be done which are certainly expected to change a situation.