Pertamina Plaju Refinery Carves Smiles Through Workers' Donations in Banyuasin I

Plaju, April 2, 2023 - Feelings of emotion welled up on Sambirejo Street, Mariana Village, that afternoon (30/03/2023). Ponirah (78) repeatedly thanked her while shedding tears when she received a cane for a walker that supports her vulnerable body.

At the age of three-quarters of a century, Ponirah lives with her husband, Sukadi (78), who only able to sit in a chair in front of their house. The grandparents were cared of by their child, also living in the house.

They have just received canes for walking aids from PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional (KPI) Refinery Unit III Plaju (Pertamina Plaju Refinery). Through the SENYUM (Sedekahnya Untuk Masyarakat/Donation For the Society) platform, the Pertamina Plaju Refinery provides opportunities for its workers who want to donate. It will be distributed to the community around the company who need a helping hand.

A few meters from her house lives an old grandmother. She is Ponisah (82), who is still strong and able to walk here and there, but often complains about being tired. A smile appeared on her face when she tried the walking stick, so she could walk some distance without bothering her children and grandchildren.

On the other hand, in a simple hut that juts slightly into the forest, lives a husband and wife with their two children who are still studying in junior high school. Fitri Nurlaila (41), the wife, suffers from hearing impairment, which according to her confession, she has been suffering from since 2012. "There was festering, and the doctor diagnosed it as an infection,” she said.

After wearing the hearing aid, she could hear faint sounds around her. “I’m starting to be able to hear, sir. Before, if you want to talk to me, you have to shout,” she admitted.

She looked happy and touched, and thanked her husband for being looked at with great attention by the Pertamina Plaju Refinery.

Alone in Old Age

In the corner of the village, on Cendana Street, Mariana Village, there is also Kijam (78), who lives alone in his old age. He lives from the helping hands of his neighbors. The Pertamina Plaju refinery also sympathized with Kijam by providing basic food assistance.

"Thank you, Pertamina, and good luck to Pertamina and all Pertamina workers. May they be given health, success, and longevity," he said while thanking the Pertamina Plaju Refinery.

Still, on Cendana Street, Umi (65) expressed her feelings of happiness accompanied by tears of emotion when she was handed basic food assistance. Umi, often called "grandmother" by residents, lives alone in a very simple house while trying to support herself by working odd jobs.

"Hopefully, Pertamina will be more victorious and prosperous, always providing sustenance and health for its workers," said Umi with sparkling eyes.

Starting Since 2021

The condition of the people around the company is the reason for the Pertamina Plaju Refinery Officer's heart to move. The SENYUM platform is an ongoing program carried out by the Pertamina Plaju Refinery, launched during the last Ramadan in 2021. This charity program has collected and distributed workers' alms with a nominal value of more than IDR 300 million.

In the wave of distribution that was carried out yesterday (30/03/2023), the Pertamina Plaju Refinery assisted in the form of hearing aids and walking sticks, as well as basic food packages to underprivileged communities in several villages and sub-districts in Banyuasin I District.

Area Manager of Communication, Relations & CSR of the Pertamina Plaju Refinery, Siti Rachmi Indahsari, said that caring had become a culture of the Pertamina Plaju Refinery employees. "We hope that routinely giving donations will bring benefits to the surrounding community," said Rachmi.

She hopes that the Pertamina Plaju Refinery will be able to stand side by side with the community and ask for prayers for the refinery's safety. "We ask for prayers and support from all stakeholders and the surrounding community so that the Pertamina Plaju Refinery will be given safety. Therefore, it can continue to process the best energy," she said.**