Women workers are now able to voice the urge for changes. Starting from company policies on prevention of sexual abuse, to better behavior for health.

Being poked by a male mechanic worker has become commonplace for Indriyani, 25, a woman worker in a garment factory.

“They said they are just kidding. “Me and the other women tailors who are also frequently poked actually feel uncomfortable, but didn’t know that it’s a sexual harassment,” said the quality controller at the garment factory.

The woman who lives in Pondokkaso Tonggoh, Sukabumi Regency, admitted that she used to be shy and did not have the confidence to speak in public. That is why when she experienced sexual harassment, she kept silent. 

Indriyani changed after participating in the EKATA (Empowerment, Knowledge and Transformative Action) group formed by Yayasan CARE Peduli (YCP). EKATA is a self-help and solidarity group for women garment workers in the communities where they live. EKATA members establish relationships with their peers, share experiences, evaluate and understand problems, and work together to solve problems. 47 EKATA has been established in Sukabumi and Purwakarta districts.

The EKATA material is quite comprehensive. The members learn about leadership, communication, problem solving, and negotiation. They are also encouraged to understand about clean water, sanitation, health and nutrition. Mental health, prevention of gender-based violence and financial literacy are also discussed. There is also materials on how to facilitate and share information, which Indriyani practiced by telling about EKATA to family, friends, as well as superiors and fellow tailors at the factory.

“After joining EKATA, I am brave to tell the mechanic to not touch me anymore,” said Indriyani. If not, she will report it to Human Resources (HR) department at the factory. 

Not only that, she and her group, EKATA Apel, wrote a complaint about sexual harassment and put it in the factory suggestion box. The box is opened every month by HR. Indriyani also submitted a similar complaint to her superiors, who then followed up with the union and factory management.

The factory management responded well to this input. A series of outreach on factory policies on Sexual Harassment Prevention were held. A video about sexual harassment in a garment factory is also shown on the canteen television so that all workers can watch it and understand how to report similar incidents to management.

Like Indriyani, Onih Kurniasih, 31, was initially uncomfortable speaking in front of a crowd. Nervousness, embarrassment, and fear are mixed together. When participating in the training for trainers (Training of Trainers, ToT) EKATA, the tailor at a garment factory in Purwakarta Regency always felt shaky and wanted to cry when she had to express her opinion.

“But all the trainers and participants were very kind. They said there are no wrong answers, and we are all learning together here. Now I have the courage to speak up, ”said the woman who has been working as a sewing labor since she was 15 years old.

Onih not only changed to be able to have an opinion, but also cared more about personal health. When working, she didn’t like wearing masks, never had breakfast, and rarely drank because she was chasing her work targets. EKATA made her aware of the dangers of this unhealthy habit, as well as its potential future consequences.

“I never thought about the bad effects of this habit on health later. After knowing, I immediately changed my daily habits, ”she explained.

For the sake of her health, Onih now makes sure she has breakfast before leaving for work. She tries to eat more vegetables. A drinking bottle always accompany her in the factory, and she never forgets to wear a mask all the time.

After changing her lifestyle, Onih now feels she has a fresher mind and body. Furthermore, she becomes more productive and always reaches his daily target.

From EKATA, she also realized the importance of saving, especially for her daughter’s education.

“I was not able to enter SMA (Senior High School) because my family was broken and had no money. But now I’m saving money so my children can go to university. All this so that their lives will be better than mine, ”she said excitedly. 

Both Indriyani and Onih knew EKATA from their village cadres, who were effective recruiters for participants. The cadres explained that the training participants could learn many things, make new friends, and jointly solve problems in factories, homes and communities.

At the beginning, Onih admitted that she was not sure and suspected that this program was just a scam. “I asked many questions, what are the benefits of joining? Is this legal? ” she said. 

She then followed the EKATA socialization at her residence, Cisaat Village, Sukabumi Regency. Convinced by the explanation from the YCP team, Onih decided to join the ToT. The rest is history.

“Joining the EKATA group makes me very happy. I can learn various things, also make new friends to share problems and find solutions. I also know the importance of loving myself, ”said Onih.

Now, EKATA in Sukabumi and Purwakarta districts has taken steps to ensure sustainability and increase its influence in determining village development priorities. 13 EKATA groups in Sukabumi are working with the Regional Leadership Cooperative Council (Dekopinda) to set up a savings and loan cooperative and are in the process of legal registration. 10 EKATA in Purwakarta is registered in their village, so they can participate in village development meetings and receive activity funding from the village. Meanwhile, three EKATA groups in Sukabumi are in the process of legalizing the making of a Decree (SK) from the Village Head. This process will significantly increase the influence of the EKATA group on society, as well as support local government programs that meet the needs of women garment workers.

In Sukabumi, the EKATA group has finalized its activity plan and has begun taking action to promote its rights and welfare in the home, community and workplace. Their actions have had an impact, among others, to make their environment aware of sexual harassment in factories, and to encourage village officials to solve the problem of waste and improve street lighting. They also collaborate with other service providers, such as the Health Office, the Women Empowerment and Child Protection Agency (DP3A), the Manpower Office, and so on. In partnership with another YCP program, Together for Justice (BUKA), they are also preparing to form the Working Women Learning Network (JBPP). The 23 EKATA in Purwakarta have completed the ToT, and will plan their activities in 2020.

Improvement of Welfare, Dignity, Health and Leadership of Women Workers (Worker Dignity, Health and Leadership / WDHL)

Objective: Improve the dignity, welfare, health, leadership, quality of life and productivity of women garment workers in Indonesia

Duration: 2018-2020

Location: Sukabumi Regency and Purwakarta Regency, West Java

Number of beneficiaries as of December 2019: 1,092 people

Implementing partners: PEKKA Foundation (Women Heads of Families) and the Pasoendan Women’s Resource Development Center Foundation (PPSW)

Funding support: TARGET Inc

Women disaster survivors in Central Sulawesi are now becoming more resilient and capable in overseeing the reconstruction of their houses.

The life of Marlina, 42 years old, changed drastically when an earthquake hit her house in Soulowe Village, Sigi Regency. The house of the Kindergarten (TK) honorary teacher is one of more than 60 thousand houses that were destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi in 2018.

“The land split from behind to the middle of the house. The ground collapsed in the middle of the house. As it is not safe, we cannot live in our house anymore,” she said softly remembering the tragedy.

Until now, she and her extended family are still living in refugee tents. No less than 11 people from Marlina’s family, her sister, and her parents are gathered there. They are part of the 170,000 people who lost their homes as a result of the disaster.

However, a bright spot presented itself in this situation. The government has listed her family as recipients of stimulant funds to build houses. In addition, together with its partners, Yayasan CARE Peduli (YCP) provided training for Reconstruction Pioneer Moms.

In the training, women survivors of disasters learn about good construction and earthquake resistance. They now know the criteria for quality building materials, the size of the steel that meets the standards, as well as the proper composition of the concrete mixture.

Marlina said the men in her village often wondered why women received training on reconstruction. “We just offered our understanding that if women are given the same opportunity as men to understand how to build earthquake safe houses, we can share them with construction workers. They eventually accepted that women can do it too,” she explained excitedly.

The mother of three continued her story, “In the past, when we built a house, we hardly paid attention and left it completely to the workers. Even though the house is a place where our loved ones will live in. After being trained, we can monitor the workers who work so that our house is safe, strong, and nice. In fact, I once shared knowledge from training on the composition of concrete mixtures to the worker, and he was satisfied with my explanation. “

In short, according to Fatni, 44, who is also a resident of Soulowe, “We no longer can be fooled by the workers now.”

Together with Marlina, she has attended the Reconstruction Pioneer Moms training. In the past, when her house was being built, Fatni only provided food for the workers.

When her new house is going to be built, she will be able to take a more active role to ensure that her house is of higher quality and resistant to earthquakes. 

Furthermore, she is committed to spreading her knowledge to other women around her. Women in the neighbouring village, Desa Karawana, had expressed their desire to participate in learning to be the pioneers of reconstruction.

Apart from attending the training, Fatni has also received two other interventions from YCP and its partners. Namely, emergency tents and communal bathroom facilities. Both were admittedly very useful because their houses, including the bathroom, collapsed in the earthquake.

After the disaster, she and her two daughters had to bathe in the river. Bathing in open spaces and lack of hygiene made Fatni and other refugees very uncomfortable.

“Several months later, YCP built a four-door bathroom. Finally we were able to take a shower in a closed room, ”said the honorarium teacher for the Karya Pertiwi Early Childhood Education (PAUD).

The bathroom used by Fatni is part of the 494 gender sensitive sanitation facilities built by YCP to serve 6,459 disaster survivors in Central Sulawesi. YCP also provides access to clean drinking water for 17,833 people, distributes 2,040 water filters and 5,550 hygiene kits. No less than 43,263 people also obtained knowledge about hygiene and health. 

Other assistance facilitated by YCP was the distribution of hygiene kits and non-food items for 28,471 people, as well as materials to repair shelters for 1,888 families. In addition, 6,444 survivors were supported by a cash transfer program as a substitute for their work in post-disaster management. 

Learning from the experience of the earthquake, Fatni is of the opinion that all women must be resilient. However, that resilience must be learned.

“We have to learn and study to be resilient. Just wanting to be resilient without having the knowledge means nothing,” she said.

Marlina has the same opinion. Women need to be resilient because they must be ready to face all unexpected changes, including natural disasters.

After the emergency response phase passed, YCP continued to work in Central Sulawesi to restore the livelihoods of disaster survivors, especially women. YCP’s experience shows that the post-disaster recovery phase provides opportunities for women to change the structural inequalities they previously faced. Evidence and studies state that when women have an income, the family and society will also feel the benefits because women allocate most of their income for food, health and education.

YCP will also support micro, small and medium enterprises that contribute to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and mitigation. At least 5,400 families are targeted to benefit from this support.

Central Sulawesi Recovery

Objective: Restore the livelihoods of earthquake and tsunami disaster survivors in Central Sulawesi

Duration: 2018-2020

Location: Donggala Regency, Sigi Regency, Palu City

Number of beneficiaries as of September 2019: 60,454 people

Partners: PKPU, Bina Swadaya, Solidaritas Perempuan, Dompet Dhuafa, IBU Foundation, Penabulu Foundation, Karsa Institute

Funding support: Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties (SHO), Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC), Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH), Humanitarian Coalition, GATES Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, UNICEF

Disaster Resilient Women are active drivers of flood disaster management in Jakarta.

The rooster had not yet crowed signalling dawn when Nining Kartini sent a message to the WhatsApp (WA) group on her cellphone. At the area of Rukun Warga (RW) 02 Rawa Buaya Urban Village, said Nining, “Water has already entered the residents’ houses. Right now, the water level varies from 30-50 cm. “

She sent the message at 03.04 Western Indonesian Time (WIB), February 25, 2020. At that time, the DKI Jakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) had not yet issued any warnings to the public regarding the flood – the sixth in 2020.

Within an hour later, Nining’s friend in the WA group, Triyanti, replied. “Hopefully the water recedes quickly and does not increase.”

“Hopefully. Residents have evacuated their motorbikes. There was already a crowd at RW 02 from 2 o’clock in the morning. When it was reported at 3 o’clock, she said the water has covered the area evenly. I just coordinated with Pak RW 02, “replied Nining while sending photos of the flood in front of and beside her house, as well as the evacuation location of residents’ motor vehicles.

The two of them are members of the WA “SinerGi-CARE” group, which consists of trainees for Disaster Resilience Women (PTB), Rawa Buaya Village Head, Kapuk Village Head, DKI Jakarta BPBD personnel, and assistants from Yayasan CARE Peduli (YCP).

Disaster Resilient Women (PTB) are women volunteers who are equipped with the capacity to be active in every stage of disaster management, namely preparedness (pre-disaster), emergency response, and recovery (post-disaster). This training is part of the Supporting Disaster Preparedness of Government and Communities (SinerGi) program implemented by YCP in two sub-districts in West Jakarta; Rawa Buaya and Kapuk. The two sub-districts were selected due to the high vulnerability to flooding in Jakarta. 

YCP considers the special approach to women as important because they are a vulnerable group during disasters.

Women are often preoccupied with domestic matters, so they are usually at home when disaster strikes. Because women generally have little access to participate in community activities, they do not benefit from the socialization of information on how to deal with disasters.

PTB encourages its participants to become agents of change and play a role in leading families and communities when dealing with disasters. This training also provides opportunities for women to lead the process of disseminating information on gender equality and disaster preparedness.

There are five learning steps implemented by YCP in the PTB program. First of all, participants gain awareness about the importance of women’s roles and gender equality in disaster management. Second, YCP provides training and mentoring so that women are able and brave to speak up and share their opinions. After that, participants disseminate information about gender equality and disaster preparedness to their environment. In the next step, there is a change in relations, in which women gain the trust and recognition of their families and communities for their work. Fifth, women can be actively involved in policy negotiations and ensure gender-based needs (gender checklists) are met.

Around 30 women attended PTB training during 2019. They were selected because they were active in their communities and were relatively able to communicate well. After the training, they are expected to be able to share their knowledge with other women in their environment and manage coordination with other stakeholders such as the Neighborhood Association (RT), RW, Karang Taruna, and the Sub-district Office. They are also expected to be able to mediate the aspirations of their female friends who have not been able to participate in decision-making forums such as the Development Planning Deliberations (Musrenbang).  

When the flood occurred, these resilient women proved active in the emergency response. Like Nining, they are able to collect and convey a variety of important data. Starting from the position of the water, the location of the evacuation, to the number of refugees. They are also involved in public kitchens and logistics distribution. 

“PTB team, anyone ready for the public kitchen in RW 01?” said Ujang Sungkawa, Head of Kapuk Urban Village, through the WA “SinerGi-CARE” group at 9.42 WIB.

“Ready, Pak Lurah,” replied Sri Hartati, who had also completed PTB training. A number of other PTB participants also responded positively to Ujang’s questions.

Interestingly, the families of these resilient women do not mind them leaving the house and taking care of their local residents. This means that PTB participants have been able to convince families that their important role is needed by the public.

Parallel to the Disaster Resilient Women training, YCP carried out a number of other activities. Some of them are gender mainstreaming studies in disaster management documents, disability inclusion training in disaster management, and disaster simulations and evaluation of disaster contingency planning documents at the village level. YCP also conducts training on prevention of violence, harassment and sexual exploitation (PSEA) in disaster management, as well as introducing cash and voucher assistance approaches. 

Empowering women, strengthening family and community resilience, and strengthening institutions that run in harmony with the SinerGi are expected to be effective in strengthening community resilience at all stages of disaster management. Thus, they can prepare themselves before a disaster, survive when it occurs, and quickly rebound afterwards.

Supporting Governments and Communities in Disaster Preparedness (Supporting Disaster Preparedness of Government and Communities / SinerGi)

Objective: Strengthen community resilience through capacity building and disaster risk or impact management

Duration: April 2019-April 2020

Location: DKI Jakarta

Number of beneficiaries as of February 2020: XXXX people

Consortium: CRS, Save the Children, Wahana Visi Indonesia

Funding support: USAID

Partnering schools now have Standard Operating Procedures to protect their students from sexual abuse.

This is a sad reality: sexual abuse against children occurs most often in the school environment. Data from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) complaints shows that in 2018 there were 177 cases of sexual abuse in schools. The same institution reported that from January to April 2019, there were 35 complaints, 25 of which occurred in elementary schools (SD).

The perpetrators are usually people who the children know, including teachers and school staffs. The lack of information and knowledge can hinder the handling of these cases because parents, educators, and the community do not know how to.

Through discussions and trainings conducted by Yayasan CARE Peduli (YCP) for teachers and students, it was clearly revealed that violence/abuse had not yet become an issue of concern.

Girls who are survivors of sexual abuse often fall victim twice. Apart from experiencing the abuse itself, they are often judged by public and even expelled from school as they are considered to have defamed the school’s good name. 

On the other hand, the development of internet and cell phones also increases the risk of sexual abuse against children. There are adults who become sexual predators of children and catch their victims using the internet. Meanwhile, images of child abuse are increasingly being exchanged online. It is not uncommon for children to send sexual messages and pictures to each other on their cell phones, without realizing it makes them vulnerable to risks of other abuse. 

According to the Law on Child Protection, every child has the right to be protected from sexual crimes. This means that schools as a space for children’s daily activities should be a place that is comfortable and safe.

Thus, YCP and its partnering schools have developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to protect their students from sexual abuse. With this SOP, it is hoped that students are protected from sexual abuse and have their rights fulfilled.   

This SOP contains how schools can prevent sexual abuse. Namely, by identifying student vulnerabilities and recognizing potential threats around children. In addition, educators and school staff need to be sensitive in responding to cases of sexual abuse. This is very important so that schools can quickly take appropriate action and in accordance with their students’ needs.  

Schools also need to determine concrete steps when their students face sexual abuse. For example, who will assist the child in the process of psychological and legal recovery, as well as the mechanisms that needs to be enforced if an educator is proven to have committed an abuse.  

The initiative of YCP and its partnering schools was positively appreciated by the stakeholders. “The development of this SOP is very good, because so far there has been no particular approach in schools for the prevention and handling of sexual abuse in schools,” said Achi Soleman from the Makassar City Office of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection.  

Meanwhile, according to Asep Nugraha Jaya, Head of the Serang Regency Education and Culture Office, “Many cases of violence and abuse against children have occurred in Serang Regency, even in the school environment. We really need the mechanism regulated in this SOP, considering that Serang Regency is a Child Friendly Regency. This SOP is a tool for schools in efforts to prevent and deal with abuse against children. ” 

Creating an SOP is actually part of the Promoting a Sustainable and Food Secure World (PROSPER) program implemented by YCP in Serang District and Makassar City throughout 2016-2019. The program’s focus is to improve children’s welfare through reducing cases of diarrhea and infectious diseases.

In this program, YCP builds clean water and sanitation facilities and organizes training and events on nutrition in partnering schools. YCP also promotes healthy and clean-living habits, such as proper hand washing and the importance of cleanliness of female reproductive organs during menstruation.

There are several advantages of this program over similar activities. First, local governments are involved strategically from the start, so that the process runs smoothly. Second, the construction of hardware, such as the construction of sanitation facilities, is accompanied by the development of software, namely through a series of trainings to increase knowledge related to a Clean and Healthy Lifestyle (PHBS) and nutrition. 

After the three year intervention period, a lot of improvements occurred in partnering schools. It is now easier for students to access sanitation facilities as the ratio of students to functional school toilets has decreased from 125: 1 to 83: 1. Students and their parents have also become increasingly aware of the practice of healthy habits. Students who reported washing their hands at school increased by 16%, while parents’ awareness of the most critical hand washing times increased by 40%.

In addition, the percentage of students who did not attend school because of diarrhea has decreased significantly due to improved sanitation facilities and hygiene practices. The percentage of students who reported having diarrhea in the last two weeks decreased from 26% to 14%, while the percentage of children who reported being absent from school due to diarrhea also decreased from 69% to 50%.

In terms of capacity building for government and civil society organizations in clean water and sanitation programs in schools, at least 102 government officials have been trained to understand it more. Also, 20 clean water, sanitation and nutrition committees have also been formed.

Responding to the positive impact of PROSPER, Serang District allocated a budget for program replication in 29 schools per fiscal year 2018 and 2019, bringing the total to 58 schools. Together with Bone Regency, Serang Regency will be the location of PROSPER in the second phase which takes place in 2019-2022.

Promoting a Sustainable and Food Secure World / PROSPER

Objective: Iimprove children’s welfare through reducing cases of diarrhea and infectious diseases

Duration: Phase 1 September 2016-August 2019, phase 2 September 2019-August 2022

Location: Serang Regency, Makassar City, and Bone Regency

Number of beneficiaries as of February 2020: 14,221 people (7,755 of whom were women)

Funding support: Cargill

Women emerge as the main drivers of food security and no longer hesitate to be active in the public sector.

Kause’s eyes lit up as she showed off harvesting her purple sweet potato crop. “Unlike other tubers that only grow during the rainy season, purple sweet potatoes can remain fertile during the dry season,” said the woman farmer from Oekiu Village, Nusa Tenggara Timor (NTT).

Growing it is also easy thanks to the drip irrigation technique. The used plastic bottle with a hole at the bottom is key to irrigating purple sweet potatoes. The water flows slowly onto the ground and the bottle only needs to be refilled once every three to four days. Purple sweet potato is easy to grow in the highlands and lowlands, hence strengthening food security of the villagers during the dry season and uncertain times. The nutritional content is also high.

Kause is a member of the Moen Mese Women Farmers Group (KWT) in Oekiu Village, one of the locations for Yayasan CARE Peduli (YCP)’s Partners for Resilience (PfR) program. The purple sweet potato farming assistance activity is part of the integrated risk management approach initiated by PfR. This approach is considered appropriate for dealing with the impacts of the climate crisis, strengthening ecosystem management and restoration, and promoting risk-resistant investments and policies from the private sector, government, and multilateral organizations.

NTT was chosen as the program location because of its vulnerable conditions to the climate crisis. The relatively dry climate causes low levels of land productivity, clean water availability and food security in NTT. As a result, NTT is one of the provinces with a large population classified as malnourished. In fact, more than a third of children under five years of age in NTT are underweight.

Women in NTT face a variety of challenges, ranging from food and sanitation problems, to limited public services and infrastructure. They are also usually tasked with fetching water and fuel for the family, which requires significant time and effort to travel long distances. Since most of their time is consumed in domestic work, women are hardly involved in public activities such as citizen meetings and development planning forums.

PfR seeks to encourage women farmers to be more empowered, have more access to information, and be actively involved in the decision-making process. Especially, in decisions related to food security and family nutrition.

“Purple sweet potato can fulfil our food needs. The excess harvest can also be sold in the market, providing additional income, ”said Yunyulita Lakilaf, also a KWT member Moen Mese.

Now, around 1,500 purple sweet potato trees are grown in Oekiu Village, which water supply tends to be limited. Purple sweet potato has become an important element to strengthen the food security of the villagers. 

In addition to planting purple sweet potatoes, self-empowerment was also a material conveyed by the PfR facilitators to the women participating in the program. Women are encouraged to be actively involved in local decision-making processes, including in development planning, risk assessment and information management. Efforts to end hunger and poverty can provide optimum impacts only if they involve all parties, including women.

Thanks to PfR, there are now more women involved in the Development Planning Deliberations (Musrenbang) which are usually dominated by men. One of them is Regina, a resident of Oelbiteno Village, Kupang Regency. During the question and answer session of the Kupang Regency Musrenbang, she stood up swiftly and raised her hand to speak.

“I want to farm, but the village is short of water during the second planting season. I hope the government can build a retention basin (embung) to provide water. Apart from that, I also request that the elementary school and damaged roads in the village to be repaired, “she said.

The government immediately responded to Regina’s aspiration, and presented some of their plans. A retention basin will be built and the elementary school will be repaired. The related government unit office will immediately survey the damaged roads, while the work will be carried out in collaboration with village officials. 

Since they are not used to public speaking, the resilient women who has participated in the PfR program admitted that they sometimes feel awkward. Ferderika Taimenas, Treasurer of the Women Farmers Group, for example. According to Ferderika, the important thing is that now they have the courage to do so.

“Previously, we did not dare to speak like this. Usually when there are guests, we are just busy in the kitchen. Now, even though talking stiffly, I dare to speak up,”she said with a smile.

Partners for Resilience (PfR)

Objective: Increase the resilience of vulnerable communities and protect livelihoods against natural hazards related to climate change

Duration: Phase 1 2011-2015, phase 2 2016-2020

Location: Kupang City, Kupang Regency, South Timor Tengah Regency

Number of beneficiaries: 1,686 people, 43% of whom were women

Implementing partner: Circle of Imagine Society (CIS) Timor

Consortium: International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) / Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), Red Cross-Climate Center (RCCC), Wetlands International Indonesia (Yayasan Lahan Basah), KARINA Indonesia

Funding support: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Thousands young womenof Bandung Regency has grown a much higher appreciation for themselves and are now eager to plan their future.

“I’m quiet and rarely socialize. Not many people know the story of my sad life, “said Alya Nurul Wijaya, a seventh grade student of SMP Pasundan 1, starting her story.

She will never forget how sad she was four years ago, when her parents divorced. Alya and her mother moved to her grandfather’s house. Her mother then became a domestic worker (PRT) to support the family and pay for Alya’s education.

“Actually, I want to become a doctor, but I am quite pessimistic considering the status of my family which is not a wealthy one,” she said.

At school, Alya tends to feel inferior, withdraws herself, and rarely socializes. She thinks the other students at her school don’t like her. All, except for one person who later became her best friend, Aida. She is the one who often helps Alya in difficult times and also encourages Alya to continue participating in the Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (PACE) program held at their school.

PACE is designed to prepare girls to become resilient. This is done by increasing the capacity of girls aged 12 to 18 years in Bandung Regency. More than 3,000 people, including students and teachers, participated in PACE. The materials discussed range from self-introduction, emotional management, understanding gender and puberty, planning to achieve goals, leadership, problem solving, to work feasibility.

Alya found the topics of “dreams” and “financial management” as the most interesting ones. From that, she got the idea of ​​selling snacks at school, which enabled her to save some money. “I hope that I can consistently strive to achieve my goals, so that someday I can make my mother happy,” she said.

In another school, SMP PGRI, we meet Fitriani, 14 years old. The benefit that she felt from the PACE materials is her growth for self-respect. Fitriani used to feel ashamed about her body – which she felt was bigger than her peers.

“The PACE facilitator, who is also my teacher, explained that all human beings are born equal. God gave us perfect bodies. We, as humans, are obliged to care and nurture it. From then on, I felt more appreciative and grateful for what God has given me, “she explained.

Fitriani also understands more about reproductive health. Previously, she only changed her sanitary napkin twice a day during menstruation. PACE made her understand that women’s reproductive organs are susceptible to disease, hence must be kept and maintained clean. Now, during menstruation she changes sanitary napkins up to four times per day.

Meanwhile, at SMP Pemuda there is Anggia Nurlaila who is in class VIII. The PACE material that made the most lasting impression for Anggia was the introduction of the human body. Especially about which part of the body that should not be touched by anyone.

“Before joining PACE, I always wondered to myself. Which body part should we really take care of? I once saw a girl treated inappropriately by some guy, who poked her chin and touched her breasts. It turns out that such actions are a form of harassment and is not allowed, ”said Anggia.

The lesson she learned from this topic was that young girls must understand the “good” and the “bad” when socializing. Teenagers have to take care of themselves, especially when hanging out with their friends.

The topic about their body turned out to be one of the most exciting discussions in schools, including at SMPN 1 Banjaran. Diah Yuliah, a PACE facilitator, said that many students initially had the image of a beautiful body as a woman with white skin, pointed nose, with a slender body just like Korean girl band singers.

One of Diah’s students was very reluctant to take part in extracurricular activities because she felt insecure about her dark-coloured skin and her physical looks. In fact, the student was actually very interested in joining the extracurricular activity.

“During our discussion about the perfect body, she was brave enough to express it. This became a subject of discussion which continued through individual counseling. This student then changed her perception about beauty and perfection. She became active again in extracurricular activities, without worrying much about it anymore,”she said.

Talking about their dreams, more and more participants are confident that they can achieve them. One of them is Rizky Puri Ayuningtyas, a student of SMP 1 Pasundan.

“Girls also have the right to dream big. After learning more about the special qualities of women, I became confident and and more determined to achieve my dreams. I will prove that I can achieve that dream, ”said Rizky excitedly.

Personal and Career Development (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement / PACE)

Objective: Prepare resilient women for the future through self-capacity building (soft skills) designed for young girls aged 12-18 years

Duration: 2018-2019

Location: Bandung Regency

Number of beneficiaries as of January 2020: 3,269 people

Implementing partner:

Funding support: Abercrombie