The YouTube Village - 17th September 2021

A motor mechanic in Indonesia has made his village famous. Siswanto, 38 years old, had a brilliant idea. He saw a TV show about someone who became rich by making online videos and thought he could do that. But his first try didn't succeed.

Siswanto was trying to repair a valuable motorbike, so he looked for an online video to help him. But, the video was too confusing. Siswanto then decided he would make simple videos, explaining how to fix bikes.

It wasn't easy. He didn't have money or the correct equipment. But Siswanto continued making videos and now he has reached over two million followers on YouTube. He also has a small team to help with his videos.

The people of Kasegeran, Siswanto's village, knew nothing about YouTube. So Siswanto explained and then trained over 30 villagers to be YouTubers.

Siswanto: "Because not everyone has the passion to be a YouTuber, so I picked 33 people whom I've trained intensively. In six months, they can make money because they have successfully monetised their YouTube channels."

Kasegeran now has many YouTubers making videos about everything from cooking to farming.

Siswanto has made himself and his village a great success.

Siswanto: "This has brought a better economy, which was never expected by the local government or the elders. I hope future generations will remain comfortable living in Kasegeran because it no longer holds the title as 'the poorest village'."