Empower Women with Sustainable Livelihood

The Regular Community Meeting was held on July 24, 2025, in Ponorogo Regency as part of INFEST Yogyakarta’s ongoing support to strengthen the Indonesian Migrant Workers Community (Komunitas Pekerja Migran Indonesia – KOPI) at both village and regency levels. The meeting brought together representatives of village-level KOPI and their community-based business units, known as KOPI-Owned Enterprises (Badan Usaha Milik KOPI – BUM KOPI), as well as administrators from the Ponorogo Regency KOPI.

The forum was attended by 40 participants, consisting of 15 men and 25 women, reflecting strong participation and inclusive representation across villages. The meeting served as a coordination and reflection space to evaluate progress, identify challenges, and align work plans for the coming three months.

Objectives and Content

The main objectives of the meeting were to:

• Conduct evaluations and progress reporting on the implementation of KOPI programs at the village level, including challenges and opportunities;
• Obtain a comprehensive overview of the organizational condition and dynamics of KOPI in Ponorogo Regency; and
• Identify and agree on the work plans of each village-level KOPI and the regency-level KOPI for the next three months.

Each village KOPI presented updates on organizational activities, community engagement, and ongoing economic and advocacy initiatives, followed by facilitated discussion and joint reflection.

Key Learnings and Achievements

The discussions highlighted several important findings:

Overall, membership regeneration remains a common challenge across village-level KOPI. Many administrators are actively involved in livelihood activities and household responsibilities, which limits their availability for organizational work. Participants agreed on the importance of regenerating membership and leadership to ensure organizational sustainability and continuity.

One concrete initiative shared during the meeting came from KOPI Pondok, which plans to organize a socialization event on the Village Regulation concerning the Protection of Migrant Workers, in collaboration with the Village Government. In addition, KOPI Pondok intends to conduct training on organic fertilizer production for the broader community as part of its efforts to empower the economy and the environment.

The forum also discussed preliminary plans for a Training of Trainers (ToT) on financial literacy, aimed at strengthening KOPI members' capacity to facilitate financial education for migrant workers and their families at the village level.

Reflection and Next Steps

The meeting reaffirmed the role of regular community forums as an important mechanism for coordination, peer learning, and collective planning among KOPI structures. Participants agreed to continue strengthening internal communication, prioritize leadership regeneration, and finalize three-month work plans at both village and regency levels.

INFEST Yogyakarta will continue to provide facilitation and technical support to assist KOPI in addressing organizational challenges, strengthening program implementation, and expanding community-based initiatives related to migrant worker protection and economic empowerment.