“I have a disability due to a terrorist bombing, but that disability does not stop me from striving for a better life.”

Mrs. Vivi Normasari (51), commonly known as Mrs. Vivi, is one of the victims of terrorism crimes assisted by the Indonesian Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK-RI) who strives as a survivor to rise better and inspire many people, especially those who have been victims of terrorism, to have a better spirit of life.

Mrs. Vivi is an alumna and beneficiary of a social entrepreneurship training program organized by the Indonesia Inspiring Building Foundation (YIIM) together with LPSK-RI and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2022. This program aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1, “No Poverty,” and SDG 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Stemming from the spirit of the SDGs, YIIM, together with LPSK and UNODC, created a social entrepreneurship program aimed at economically empowering underprivileged communities and pre-prosperous people to create entrepreneurs and self-reliant individuals, specifically providing economic strengthening and empowerment for survivors.

Life Journey

Mrs. Vivi is one of the victims of the terrorist bombing at the JW Marriott Jakarta in 2003. Due to the explosion that affected her, Vivi has scars that prevent her hands from functioning normally. Before the incident, Vivi worked at a foreign bank in Jakarta. Due to her limitations, Vivi had to leave her job and find other ways to earn an income. Relentlessly, Vivi eventually opened a small food business at her residence in Purwakarta. However, after running this business, Vivi felt she needed to develop other business ideas to stay afloat.

In 2022, Vivi had the opportunity to join a social entrepreneurship program for barista training from YIIM, LPSK, and UNODC. This training led her to discover another passion she could develop, namely barista work. Thanks to the training, Vivi successfully earned an internship opportunity at YIIM’s Kopi Inspirasi for two weeks. Not only that, she also received barista equipment, such as a moka pot, french press, and vietnam drip, to start her own business.

Starting a Business

After the training, on March 25, 2022, Vivi mustered the courage to open her own coffee shop. She named it “Kedai Kopi VN” (VN Coffee Shop). The name VN comes from her initials, Vivi Normasari. Vivi’s shop is currently built simply in front of her house’s terrace due to limited capital.

Vivi’s coffee shop sells a variety of coffee menus and snacks, such as hot & ice coffee, espresso, americano, palm sugar milk coffee, coffee latte, hazelnut latte, caramel latte, and various other lattes. Vivi also provides a special signature menu, namely dalgona coffee and dalgona chocolate. These dalgona varieties are favorites among customers. She also offers snacks such as dimsum, soken mix (sausage, potato, and nugget mix), pempek, various instant noodle flavors, and rice bowls with five variants (teriyaki chicken, teriyaki beef, chicken sambal matah, beef sambal matah, and squid sambal matah).

The location of the shop, which is still in front of the house’s terrace in a residential area in Purwakarta, allows Vivi to sell her products at affordable prices. She sells hot & ice coffee variants ranging from Rp12,000 to Rp17,000 per cup, depending on the type and variant. For food items, Vivi sells them starting from Rp15,000 to Rp20,000. As for instant noodle variants, she sells them for Rp7,000.

Currently, Vivi’s shop sells approximately 10 cups per day. This achievement can be considered a fairly satisfying start. This is because Vivi’s coffee shop is still relatively new and is located on the terrace of a house within a residential area. For now, the products Vivi sells are only available directly at Kedai Kopi VN. However, Vivi is in the process of registering for an online business license to market them via platforms like Go-Food, GrabFood, and ShopeeFood to expand her market reach.

Providing Benefit and Nobility

“I want to share and pass on the knowledge I have gained to my friends who are also victims of terrorist bombings. Many of them are still in unfortunate circumstances and need business assistance. I want to help them with what I have…”

Mrs. Vivi has a desire to help her fellow bombing victims become independent by starting businesses. She wants to share and pass on the knowledge she gained from the training to those in need. In her view, sharing and imparting knowledge is a noble act and a form of ongoing charity (amal jariyah) for her. Furthermore, she also wants to continue the benefit provided by YIIM, LPSK, and UNODC in providing barista training.

Plans and Hopes

Vivi has future plans and hopes to advance her business further. She wants to open a shop in a roadside commercial area with various facilities, such as an air-conditioned room and a smoking area. Not only that, Vivi also plans to innovate with other coffee menu items. This is to make the coffee menu at her shop more varied.

For friends who would like to taste Vivi’s handmade coffee directly, you can visit “Kedai Kopi VN” located at Perum Buana Indah Block A No. 27, Babakan Cikao-Mulya Mekar, Purwakarta. For more information, you can check her Instagram @kedaikopivn or contact 0812-9926-5326.

Salam Inspirasi!