Empower Women with Sustainable Livelihood

On Saturday, November 8, 2025, INFEST Yogyakarta facilitated a Learning Reflection Discussion on the Economic Empowerment of Migrant Worker Communities in Jatinom Village, Kanigoro District, Blitar Regency. The activity formed part of the Regular Business Meeting (Activity 1.2.8 – OP-2.4.2) and aimed to review community-based economic initiatives implemented throughout 2025 while preparing business development plans for 2026. 

The meeting was attended by 32 participants (11 men and 22 women), consisting of administrators of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Community (Komunitas Pekerja Migran Indonesia/KOPI) and community business units (BUMKOPI) from five assisted villages—Gogodeso, Pandanarum, Jatinom, Lorejo, and Sumberagung—as well as representatives from KOPI Blitar Regency and the Migrant Worker Cooperative. The discussion was facilitated by Purwanto, INFEST’s Project Officer for Blitar, with support from AWO International.

Objectives and Focus of the Discussion

The reflection forum was designed to:

• Present the current conditions of community businesses in each village.
• Identify challenges and obstacles encountered during 2025;
• Document key lessons learned from successes and failures; and
• Develop initial business development plans for each KOPI in 2026.

Key Reflections and Learning Outcomes

Throughout the session, each village KOPI presented an overview of its economic initiatives, ranging from community shops and savings groups to home-based production enterprises. Discussions highlighted that while some initiatives showed promising progress, others stagnated or incurred financial losses due to weak planning, limited marketing capacity, and low member participation.

Participants emphasized that community businesses are not solely measured by profit, but also by the learning process, trust-building among members, and collective ownership. Several common issues emerged, including inadequate financial record-keeping, limited business planning skills, and the absence of clear long-term strategies.

Representatives from KOPI Blitar Regency underlined the importance of cross-learning among villages, noting that peer-to-peer sharing helped communities identify practical solutions and avoid repeating similar mistakes. Support from village governments was also highlighted as a crucial factor in strengthening institutional sustainability.

Looking Ahead: Business Development Plans for 2026

During the planning session, each KOPI outlined preliminary strategies for 2026. Key priorities included improving financial management, strengthening digital and offline marketing, increasing member engagement, and enhancing collaboration between KOPI across villages. Participants agreed that future business development must be more structured and realistic, grounded in local capacities and market conditions.

Challenges Identified

The discussion concluded that:

• None of the five communities yet had a detailed and measurable business development plan for 2026; and
• Several community businesses remained stagnant or financially unviable without strategic intervention.