Kemenkop UKM Collaborates With Indonesian Tough Women (PTI), Develops A Digital Economy Ecosystem For Disabilities

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - Data shows that there are around 31 million disabilities currently recorded, and this is a market share that has the potential to be developed as a people's economy. Women Tangguh Indonesia (PTI) since 2021, has started to become a startup for people with disabilities. A number of activities to develop themselves for people with disabilities are continuously carried out until now.

"They are human resources who have the potential to continue to be nurtured and developed to become financially independent figures," said the General Chair of PTI, Myra Winarko in a meeting with the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Wednesday, August 3. The training that has been given to people with disabilities currently includes training as MUA or Makeup Artist, Chef, and Art. A number of alumni from these activities have been placed in several prestigious places.

"One of the people with disabilities who has an extraordinary talent in cooking is now working in a well-known restaurant in South Jakarta," said Myra Winarko. The activities carried out by people with disabilities, organized by the Indonesian Tangguh Women (PTI), actually attracted the attention of the Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs to be developed into a digital economic ecosystem.

"I hope that the Indonesian Tangguh Woman (PTI) can become a business incubator for people with disabilities, by building an ecosystem, related to sustainable financing and training and helping to place human resources with disabilities in companies in Indonesia," said the Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs, Teten Masduki, when he received PTI management in preparation for the Digital Economy to support SDGs event, which was held on August 8 in Bali. The ecosystem has been built by PTI since 2020 thanks to the support of well-known companies in developing human resources for disabilities, such as PT Modena, PT Panasonic Gobel, PT Paragon (Wardah), Danar Hadi, PT Impack Pratama Tbk, and to date has produced many alumni. people with disabilities who have successfully started their business as MSMEs. The reach of disability is also not only in the DKI Jakarta area, but has expanded to Bandung, West Java.

“In Bandung PTI has succeeded in creating a working group for MSMEs with disabilities that produces salted eggs and wet snacks. They even have their own brand with the name Telor Asin 3 Jagoan which has been marketed to various places," said Myra.

The financing ecosystem has also been supported by Bank Sahabat Sampurna and will soon follow Bank BCA and Bank Mega. Seeing that the MSME market niche for disability is still very wide, PTI will continue to maximize opportunities to develop itself as a startup for people with disabilities.

A number of major plans have also been prepared to maintain all the resulting production, one of which is by using the services of a professional curator.

"For the production of disability in the form of art, we also use a professional curator, because PTI has standards in introducing disabled works," added Myra Winarko.

PTI plans to issue its own digital platform and will continue to cooperate with many large companies as an ecosystem, considering that Indonesia has a wide area coverage and will facilitate the development of the digital economy with disabilities. At the exhibition in Bali on Monday, August 8, PTI will also present the DISART Festival, which is an exhibition and sale of the work of PTI-assisted persons with disabilities.