Setyawan did not mind helping out and continued to do so while working as a village secretary in Paringan, which is within the Ponorogo regency. He married Lamini in 1998.
In 2005, Setyawan had to stop volunteering. “I had to stop doing it because I had tetanus,” she recounted. She nearly died, but she eventually managed to recover.
He told CNA that the near-death experience made him decide to dedicate his life to helping people with mental health issues.
In 2007, Setyawan was asked by someone to pick up two men, ages 37 and 45, who had been released from a psychiatric hospital.
Since their families did not welcome them, Setyawan decided to take them home.
Lamini remembers being surprised when Setyawan arrived home with the strangers.
“For me, it was just weird. Why should we have them in our house?
“We were still a young family and I wanted my husband’s attention, but I was forced to share it with strangers.”
Eventually, he began to understand why Setyawan wanted to help.
“I realized that people who suffer from mental health problems also need attention, care and love like us, normal people,” Lamini said.
Setyawan added: “And now it’s actually the other way around. She is the one who takes care of them.”
For the next 10 years, they primarily took in men with mental health issues.
But in 2017, they decided to house only women, as Setywan began to step back due to health reasons and Lamini became the main caregiver.
Setyawan and Lamini do not charge a fee to care for people with mental health problems. However, most families give the couple a small token sum to help with their expenses.
When funds run out, the couple dip into their savings. They have also received donations from the public.
Margo Widodo can take care of 12 people at a time.
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