From Coffins to Community: A Nun’s Mission to Rebuild Migrant Lives in Indonesia

Sister Cicilia Susi Indrayani supports Indonesian migrant workers and their families, transitioning from crisis response in Jakarta to community empowerment in East Java.

Newsroom (30/04/2026 Gaudium Press) In Indonesia, where millions leave home in search of work abroad, the cost of migration is often measured not only in economic hardship but in human loss. For Sister Cicilia Susi Indrayani of the Daughters of Charity, accompanying migrant workers and their families through these realities has become both a calling and a daily commitment.

Indrayani began her mission in Jakarta in 2008 at the age of 27, where she encountered the stark conditions faced by the city’s most vulnerable populations. Her early work exposed her to the struggles of migrant workers and the urban poor, shaping her long-term dedication to serving those on society’s margins.

At Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, she took on one of the most emotionally demanding aspects of her ministry: receiving the bodies of Indonesian migrant workers who had died overseas. Families gathered to reclaim loved ones who returned in sealed coffins, often amid disputes with recruitment brokers demanding unpaid fees before releasing the bodies.

“Handling the bodies of Indonesian migrant workers arriving from abroad is not an easy task. We often have to deal with brokers demanding money,” she told Global Sisters Report.

Many of these workers had left Indonesia through illegal recruitment channels. In death, their families were sometimes forced to pay additional sums under claims that recruitment fees remained unpaid. Reports indicated that about 1,900 migrant workers died abroad in a single year, with at least two bodies arriving daily at Indonesian ports. Estimates suggest that around 4.3 million Indonesians work abroad illegally, with a similar number continuing to leave under irregular conditions, often driven by extreme poverty.

Beyond migration, Indrayani also witnessed the harshness of Jakarta’s street life. She encountered homeless families living under flyovers, children scavenging for food while exposed to violence and exploitation, and communities trapped in cycles of deprivation.

“Jakarta’s street life is worse than your worst idea of poverty,” she said.

Though she described this period as exhausting and, at times, discouraging due to limited visible progress, Indrayani later came to see it as essential preparation—physically, mentally, and spiritually—for her future work.

That transition came in 2022, when her supervisors assigned her to East Java, her home province and Indonesia’s largest source of migrant workers. There, her mission evolved from responding to crises to rebuilding lives.

The Daughters of Charity had already been engaged with migrant communities, but their efforts became more structured after a 2015 general meeting that called for focused work on empowering migrant families. In 2019, Sister Gracia Suparti established the Migrant Family Association in Garum, near Blitar, beginning with 92 families.

The initiative aimed to help families manage finances and overcome poverty-related challenges. Over time, membership declined to 34 families—not due to failure, but because many had achieved greater financial stability and moved out of poverty.

After Suparti’s departure from Blitar, Indrayani continued the work, addressing a common but often overlooked reality: returning migrant workers frequently find themselves in worse conditions than before they left.

“The lives of migrant workers who returned home are not as good as they expected them to be,” Indrayani said. “Only a very few are successful, and many come back into greater poverty.”

She explained that remittances sent home are often mismanaged, leaving returnees with little to rebuild their lives.

Building trust within predominantly Muslim communities initially posed challenges. Suparti noted that the sisters worked closely with local officials, identifying migrant households and holding meetings in village offices to avoid suspicion of religious conversion efforts.

Gradually, trust grew through personal connections. One family would introduce another, creating a network of cooperation. The sisters provided practical support tailored to local needs—funding small business tools such as food carts or offering interest-free loans to lease land for crops like ginger.

“I told them that the sooner they repay their previous interest-free loan, the quicker they can secure the next loan,” Suparti said, emphasizing accountability and motivation.

Today, Indrayani continues this work through regular village visits. On Mondays, she and another sister conduct sessions on hygiene, healthcare, and community-driven problem-solving. On weekends, she visits families to lead workshops in sewing, banana chip production, and herbal medicine preparation, helping women transform local knowledge into income-generating products.

“There is a lot of joy when herbal medicine concoctions prove to be healthy for those who use them,” Indrayani said, noting that these products are increasingly purchased as souvenirs in other cities.

Access to initial funding—often between $50 and $100—remains a barrier. Church institutions, including the Diocese of Surabaya’s Socio-Economic Development Commission, help bridge this gap. Families are also encouraged to save small amounts, which are later transferred to the Sawiran Credit Cooperative in Malang, enabling access to larger business loans.

Carmelite Father Eko Aldi, executive secretary of the Justice and Peace and Pastoral Care for Migrants Commission of the Indonesian bishops, described the sisters’ efforts as a clear expression of the church’s presence in local communities.

For Indrayani, success is measured in quiet departures. As families achieve stability, they leave the association.

“Each family that moves out of poverty is a success story,” she said.

• Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News

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