Kemenkop UKM Gives Appreciation To MSMEs Fostered By The Indonesian Tough Women Foundation At The 2023 Nusantara Story Event

Photo: Doc. Indonesian Women's Foundation (PTI)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Women's Foundation (PTI) actively participated in the event "The Story of the Archipelago: Unveiling the Story of Indonesia Artisty" organized by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs (Kemenkop UKM) together with the National Crafts Council (Dekranas) on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC). The story of the Nusantara 2023 will also mark a strategic partnership with PTI, which focuses on empowering disability. PTI will take an important role in this event, demonstrating its commitment to inclusion and empowerment.

Myra Winarko, Chairman of the PTI Foundation, revealed that support from the Kemenkop UKM and Dekranas provides great opportunities for 31 million people with disabilities in Indonesia. PTI, as a business incubator for disabilities, has implemented various coaching programs throughout Indonesia. This includes training to make salted eggs, make-up artists, paint, and cook, which have helped many people with disabilities to become more independent and enter the job market. "PTI has committed to responding to the challenges of developing a digital ecosystem for people with disabilities, from upstream to downstream. Going forward, PTI also plans to develop its own platform to continue to support digital development and marketing for disabilities," said Myra, quoted on Saturday, December 2.

Myra added that there has been so much cooperation between PTI and Kemenkop so far in celebrating international disability day activities. This collaboration is filled with organizing Unbounded Work activities in 2023, including by carrying out digitalization training activities for people with disabilities, making painting competitions that are attended by more than 100 people with disabilities, holding exhibitions and bazaars which are attended by 40 types of businesses with disabilities and providing rewards for inspiring people with disabilities.

"This year, the collaboration between the Ministry of Cooperatives and PTI is focused on building several disability business entities to become INWIDITA business incubators. This collaboration consists of 6 types of disability businesses that will receive capacity building and business matching training to find investors who are suitable for these business entities," said Myra.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs, Teten Masduki, emphasized the importance of developing a sustainable business ecosystem by taking a cluster approach.

"Clusters can come from their products and regional clusters. For example, in Garut, we set up a convection factory to produce skin processing products such as jackets, shoes, and bags," said Teten.

In addition, in terms of financing, there is already a KUR cluster. According to Minister Teten, clustering makes the development of training in MSMEs easier.

"They no longer have to think about how to develop their products, where the raw materials come from because they can be supplied directly, so that they are supported by marketing," said Teten.

The story of Nusantara 2023 is a big celebration of wastra, Karyan Nusantara, and local products as a tangible manifestation of the efforts of the Kemenkop UKM and Dekranas in building a technology-based craft and wastra and entrepreneur business ecosystem, including startups in Indonesia.

The journey of the Nusantara Story has started since 2021 through the Wastra Story which wishes to accompany wastra actors, and continued by organizing Cerita Kriya in 2022. The program has succeeded in empowering more than 10,000 craftsmen over the past two years. This event will also give appreciation to craft and wastra business actors who have made significant contributions. This appreciation assessment is based on the criteria for innovation, sustainability, and social impact. Not to forget, in the Nusantara Story there are also business matching and financial pitching for start-up business actors in order to access financing, then close it with an entrepreneur awarding to business actors as a form of appreciation for the various contributions given. The story of Nusantara 2023 is expected to be an annual event, which displays developments in each of the craft and wastra sectors. The Coordinating Ministry for SMEs, Dekranas, and the Action Organization for Solidarity Era (OASE) of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet initiated this program as a stage for creative ecosystems, one of which is Indonesian Tough Women, as well as various other entities such as Jakcloth, Brightspot, Inacraft and many more.