My name is Riska Andriani, and I am 25 years old. I come from Sibolga, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, I live in Jambi Province, in Merangin Regency, Bangko District.
I am an English teacher. I teach at an English course called AiBi (Intelligent Bimbel). I am the eldest of\ three siblings. I have a 24-year-old sister and a 19-year-old brother. I live with my mother. She is a widow.
My parents divorced when I was only 11 years old. After the divorce, my mother took the three of us to Jambi, far from our hometown, to start a new life.
This is where we learned to live without a father, without relatives, and with only each other to rely on. My mother sacrificed everything so that we could survive, and because of her strength, I was able to finish my degree in English Education. Today, I am blessed to work as an English teacher. Besides teaching at AiBi, I also teach private lessons.
My monthly income is Rp2,000,000 ($120 USD) from AiBi, and Rp400,000 ($24 USD)from private lessons. With this modest income, I gathered the courage to take a mortgage so I could finally have a home of my own. All my life, we lived in rented houses, moving from place to place. Having this house meant stability—something we had long dreamed of. But after living in this home for almost four years, something unimaginable happened to us.
On October 23, 2025, at 9:30 in the morning, a fire broke out and burned my house. It destroyed the entire kitchen and part of the main structure of the home.
The fire took everything in the kitchen, which was made of Glassfiber Reinforced Cemenr (GRC), leaving nothing behind… not even a single item to save. It also burned my younger brother’s bedroom, which was close to the kitchen. All of his belongings were lost in the flames.
I have trouble sleeping at night, and at the time of the incident, my sister and I were sleeping. My brother had already left for work. Suddenly, the neighbors were shouting and banging on our door, trying desperately to wake us. I opened my bedroom door and saw thick black smoke and fire exploding from the kitchen. I quickly woke my sister, and we ran for our lives.
After escaping, I worked with the neighbors to fight the fire and save whatever little we could. Not long after, the firefighters and police arrived and managed to put out the flames.
According to the police investigation, the fire was likely caused by an electrical short circuit. This tragedy broke our hearts. It left my family and me devastated, lost, and unsure of what to do next. I even thought that maybe returning to our hometown was our only option.
But when I told my friends, Mr. Rupak and Mr. Marc, they gave me hope again. They told me that 100friends could help us rebuild the home we lost. I cannot express how grateful I am to Mr. Rupak, Mr. Marc, and 100 Friends.
Their kindness came at a time when we had nothing left—not even the strength to hope. I pray that 100 Friends continues to grow and succeed. May God bless everyone who is part of 100 Friends. You have brought light into a moment of darkness in our lives.
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