In a room’s corner, the light illuminated a young girl’s as she proudly held up a handful of coffee beans in her hands. 

Maya was born with hearing and speech impairments. Despite her condition, the 17-year-old from Temanggung, Central Java, works adeptly to sort a pile of robusta coffee beans. Her warm smile belies the bullying she had experienced that made her drop out from school and withdrew from her peer group to live quietly with her grandmother. 

For Maya, these coffee beans represent her desire in being respected for her contributions. With her grandmother’s support, Maya works to sort coffee beans daily at the coffee production house of Ngudi Makmur Forest Farmers Group (KTH Ngudi Makmur). Through the group’s action in inclusive agroforestry, Maya is one of the many inspiring figures who becomes empowered by the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) in Indonesia, which targets differently abled group as one of the beneficiaries of sustainable development. 

GEF SGP Indonesia’s National Coordinator, Sidi Rana Menggala commented, “Our role at GEF SGP Indonesia is not just about cultivating commodities; it’s about fostering human dignity and resilience, creating conditions where the most vulnerable can find a place and peace.” He believes Maya’s case is concrete evidence that environmental conservation, when designed inclusively and led by the local community, can be a profound catalyst for holistic human development.