WHAT IS DEMI ESOK?
Today is where tomorrow begins.
We believe that independence is not something given, but something built—together, little by little.
Demi Esok exists to open space, create opportunity, and walk alongside those who are building a more self-reliant livelihood.
Beneficiary Profile
Asep “Topenk” — Fighting to Stand on His Own Again
Asep, better known as Topenk, is a migrant from Cianjur who, since the early 2000s, chose Bandung as the place to build his life and earn a living.
In Bandung, Topenk once knew what it felt like to build a business from the ground up all the way to its heyday. Around 2007–2015, he ran Rock N Rebel Records, a distro and clothing business focused on rock music merchandise. The business grew well and provided enough income to support his family.
But that journey did not last forever.
In late 2015, Topenk's business ran into management and internal problems. Several employees committed large-scale theft, with total losses reaching hundreds of millions of rupiah. The situation left the business unable to survive, and it eventually had to shut down.
Losing the business was a hard turning point for Topenk. Afterward, he tried various jobs and ventures to bounce back. He worked as a vegetable-truck driver in Sukabumi, sold nasi uduk, and finally decided to return to his hometown of Cianjur.
Even in Cianjur, his struggle did not stop. At one point, the house he lived in with his family was hit by an earthquake and badly damaged, to the point it was no longer a livable home. In those conditions, Topenk once again looked for a way to survive.
He then took up work as a middleman in garment production. Relying on relationships he still had from running his business in Bandung, Topenk sought out projects and connected production needs with the garment workshops able to fulfill them.
In 2024, Topenk decided to bring his wife and child back to Bandung. He hoped to secure more permanent work through one of his old contacts in the garment industry. But reality again fell short of his hopes. Projects were delayed and payments uncertain, so his income was once more unstable.
To keep meeting the family's needs, his wife took work as a domestic helper, while Topenk took a job washing vehicles at a used-car showroom owned by the husband of his wife's employer.
From an entrepreneur who once ran a business with large turnover, Topenk is now back to starting from the bottom. But what has not left him is the desire to stand on his own two feet.
Because in the end, tomorrow does not belong to those who never fall. Tomorrow belongs to those who keep choosing to rise.
And Topenk wants to be one of them.
THE GOAL ISN'T JUST TO SELL. IT'S TO BUILD.
Street Sweeties is Topenk's first step toward rebuilding a self-reliant livelihood. Right now, Topenk still sells as a street vendor, with products sourced from others, so his margins remain limited.
But selling is not the end goal. The long-term aim is for Topenk to own the cart, the products, and a business he fully owns and runs himself.
Supports basic needs during the early stage of building the business, so Topenk doesn't have to sacrifice his capital or the survival of his business just to cover today's needs.
Raises funds for a cart, equipment, production capital, and other needs that will move Topenk from selling as a street vendor toward a business he fully owns and runs himself.
The goal isn't to keep Topenk selling. The goal is to help him build something he can call his own.
