Gender Equality Indonesia Project #73710

Empower Women with Sustainable Livelihood

by Yayasan Lembaga Kajian Pengembangan Pendidikan Sosial Agama dan Kebudayaan (INFEST)

Project Report | Dec 29, 2025
Empowering Community Business in Blitar Indonesia

By Purwanto | Project Staff

Community Business Monitoring

BLITAR, INDONESIA – The Indonesian Migrant Workers' Community (KOPI) from five villages in Blitar Regency, in collaboration with the INFEST Foundation, held a strategic meeting to formulate the 2026 Community Business Development Plan.

The forum, titled "Strategic Planning for Community Business Development across 5 Villages in Blitar Regency 2026," took place on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at the Puri Arta Holtel, Blitar. The session brought together 34 participants, including board members of KOPI and Community-Owned Businesses (BUMKOPI) from Gogodeso, Jatinom, Pandanarum, Lorejo, and Sumberagung, as well as the Blitar Regency KOPI board and the INFEST team.

Since its initiation in late 2022, economic empowerment through KOPI's community businesses has shown diverse dynamics. While some communities have achieved sustainable growth, others have faced stagnation or operational losses. This meeting served as a vital space for reflection and methodical planning.

Ainun Naim, Chairperson of KOPI Gogodeso—which manages a basic food supplies (sembako) store—emphasized the importance of professional management. "Our store is running, but we realize there are gaps, especially in management and marketing strategies. This meeting has opened our eyes to the need for detailed business planning so that we don't just operate, but actually grow," Naim stated.

In Pandanarum, the focus has shifted toward sustainability and market expansion. Sudarmianto, Chairperson of KOPI Pandanarum, highlighted the challenges of their organic fertilizer business. "We have a high-quality product, but access to broader markets and modern marketing technology remains limited. With the 2026 strategy, we hope to reach farmers far beyond our own village," he explained.

Meanwhile, Sundoko, Chairperson of KOPI Jatinom, pointed out the social aspect of community business. Managing a retail store requires consistent internal commitment. "Our strategy moving forward will focus on institutional strengthening and fairer role distribution, ensuring the business truly belongs to the community," Sundoko noted.

Strengthening the Pillar of Protection

Economic empowerment is not just about profit; it is a critical component of the protection framework for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) and their families. Sofwan Hadi, Program Manager at INFEST Foundation, explained that KOPI was established as a support system and a partner for village governments. "After successfully handling legal cases and human resource training, the focus is now shifting toward the economy. While the spirit is high, business management requires a methodical approach," Hadi asserted.

"Today's activity is crucial as it transforms real-world experiences—both failures and successes—into a measurable and applicable Follow-Up Plan (RTL). We want to ensure these community enterprises create genuine economic independence for migrant workers' families."

A Commitment to 2026The strategic meeting concluded with a comprehensive list of development strategies and a roadmap for 2026. It marks a significant milestone in the shared commitment between KOPI and INFEST to achieve community-based economic independence, ensuring that the fruits of labor from migrant families are nurtured into sustainable local prosperity.

Community Business Training

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Dec 24, 2025
December Regular Community Meeting in Ponorogo

By Anny Hidayati | Project Local Officer

Dear Valued Donor,

Yayasan INFEST regularly organizes coordination meetings for the management of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Community (KOPI) in two districts, namely Ponorogo and Blitar. These meetings aim to discuss community developments, respond to emerging issues affecting community members—such as human trafficking case handling, economic accompaniment, and the development of community-based enterprises. In December, Yayasan INFEST and KOPI organized one district-level coordination meeting as part of these regular efforts.

The activity was conducted on Wednesday, 7December 2025, at the KOPI Ponorogo Secretariat. The meeting was attended by 30 participants, consisting of representatives of KOPI and BUM KOPI (Badan Usaha Milik KOPI / KOPI-owned business entities) from five villages in Ponorogo District. The main objective of the meeting was to share lessons learned from various activities implemented by KOPI at the district level, including case accompaniment and joint activities with relevant government agencies.

Session 1: Case Accompaniment Learning

The first session focused on learning from case accompaniment experiences. Alfian, one of the KOPI administrators involved in assisting a suspected human trafficking (TPPO) case, provided an update on the case. He explained that the alleged TPPO case involving a training center (BLK) in Tatung Balong has been formally reported to the Ponorogo District Police. The current stage of the process involves the examination of witnesses, including the victim’s husband, the victim’s friend, and a representative from INFEST Yogyakarta.

Alfian emphasized that navigating the legal process requires significant patience and physical endurance, as a single witness may be questioned by the police for an entire day, from morning until late at night. Therefore, case accompaniment requires strong mental resilience and physical readiness.

Agus Wibowo from KOPI Ngendut added that this was his first experience accompanying a case at the police level. He shared that reporting a case to law enforcement was more challenging than he had initially anticipated. Physical and mental endurance were tested while accompanying the victim throughout a full day of examination. He highlighted that companions must remain patient, resilient, and mentally prepared to avoid losing motivation. These experiences provided other KOPI members with a clearer understanding of the realities of case accompaniment involving law enforcement agencies.

Session 2: Experience Sharing on Joint Activities with the Manpower Office

The second session focused on experience sharing from joint activities with the Manpower Office. Tohari, as a KOPI representative involved in these activities, highlighted that KOPI’s presence is still not widely recognized by the broader community. As a result, there is a need for stronger and more systematic socialization efforts, both through public activities and case accompaniment.

Looking ahead, Tohari emphasized the importance of strengthening synergy with relevant stakeholders so that efforts to empower Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) in economic, social, and legal aspects can be implemented collaboratively and more effectively.

Research Team Visit

During the meeting, KOPI Ponorogo also received a visit from a research team from IAIN Ponorogo. The team expressed interest in learning more about KOPI and its activities to date. Moving forward, both parties plan to collaborate on community empowerment programs.

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