The sun was shining brightly in Palu that Monday. At precisely 1:00 PM local time, our team from CARE Indonesia, Karsa Institute, and UN Women departed from the Karsa Institute office to embark on our journey. We visited two villages in Sigi Regency namely Pesaku Village in Dolo Barat District and Ngatabaru Village in Sigi Biromaru District.
After a 30-minute drive, we arrived in Pesaku Village. A middle-aged man promptly greeted us in the courtyard of the Pesaku Village office. “Assalamualaikum. Welcome to Pesaku Village,” said Zainal as he shook our hands one by one. Zainal wasn’t the only one to greet us; other villagers, both men and women, welcomed us with smiles and handshakes. “Please, come in,” Zainal continued, inviting us into the village office’s hall. The hall quickly filled with around 30 people, including village officials, community group representatives, and youth from Pesaku Village.
“Assalamualaikum and good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. First, we apologize for our delay. Thank you very much, Mr. Zainal, for allowing us to meet with everyone here in Pesaku Village. This afternoon, continuing from the previous outreach session, we are here with our colleagues from Yayasan CARE Peduli and UN Women from Jakarta. We hope to engage in a discussion and listen directly to the stories and challenges you have faced in the village. So please, don’t hesitate to share. Feel free to speak as openly as you did before,” said Syaiful Taslim, the Director of Operations at Karsa Institute, as he opened the session.
A shy smile appeared on the faces of the participants. Zainal responded and encouraged the community members to ask questions. “Thank you to the team from Karsa, CARE, and UN Women for visiting our village. Indeed, the challenges we face here are social conflicts and natural disasters. Just two weeks ago, our village was hit by a flood. Everyone here is welcome to share what has happened in our village,” Zainal added.
In response to Zainal, Karmila promptly raised her hand. As a middle-aged woman and the Head of the Women and Children Protection Task Force (PPA) in Pesaku Village, she expressed her concerns about the rising cases of child marriage and violence in her village. “I am very concerned about the high rate of child marriages here. We are also dealing with cases of sexual abuse and domestic violence,” she said.
Karmila’s remarks sparked responses from other community members present. They shared various challenges faced by Pesaku Village, including disaster-related issues. One concern was the deteriorating condition of the embankment, which is vulnerable to heavy rainfall that could cause flooding. Additionally, disputes with neighbouring villages were mentioned. “There was an instance where university students doing community service set incorrect boundary markers between villages. This has led to ongoing conflicts with the neighbouring village,” Zainal explained.
The discussion lasted for an hour, and the stories shared provided valuable insights into the challenges and best practices in Pesaku Village. We said our goodbyes to everyone present and took a group photo. Our journey then continued to Ngatabaru Village, located approximately 33 kilometers away.
In Ngatabaru Village, a warm welcomed also given to us. Smiles and happy faces greeted us as we shook hands. Mr. Zulkifli from the Ngatabaru Village Government invited us into the village meeting pavilion. “Welcome to everyone from CARE, UN Women, and Karsa,” Zulkifli said, as he invited us and approximately 30 people from the village to take a seat.
“Thank you, Zulkifli, for your warm welcome. This afternoon, I am here with my colleagues from UN Women and CARE Indonesia to hear directly from you about the conditions and activities in Ngatabaru Village. This is your platform—a chance to share your hopes and current situations. Please feel free to speak openly during this discussion. As Karsa mentioned earlier, we are committed to collaborating to support you here,” Syaiful said as he opened the discussion.
Zulkifli then responded by sharing that the Ngatabaru Village Government is involved in various economic empowerment activities, such as supporting agriculture and livestock for several groups. “Our village provides support for raising chickens and a few goats. These are currently managed by several groups. We also plan to build a proper enclosure for the goats, as they are currently kept loose. The aim is to make it easier for the community, especially women, so they don’t have to travel far to collect plastic waste and bringing children to the waste collection sites,” he said.
Zulkifli also shared that while there are initiatives for women’s empowerment and family economic development in the village, challenges remain. He expressed hope that the collaborative program with CARE, Karsa, and UN Women would enhance economic opportunities. “We hope that through this program, a model for agriculture can be developed to strengthen the economy for women,” he added.
The women present responded to Zulkifli’s remarks. One woman expressed her hope to acquire additional skills to earn extra income for her family. Another woman, who is involved in village administration, voiced her concerns about the issue of teenagers marrying at a young age before completing their education. She expressed a desire for socialization and education efforts to reduce the rate of child marriage.
“Hopefully, we can learn new skills here. Even though many women here already have skill to produce fried shallots by working in onion-frying factories. There are lands available here for shallots cultivation. Some women here are capable to do shallots planting, slicing, and frying—while I am involved in slicing,” said Mei in response. She added that acquiring additional skills would be very helpful, reducing the need to travel long distances for to collect plastic waste and taking children to waste collection sites.
Mei continued that sometimes she works two jobs in a single day. In the morning, she goes to the shallots factory to slice red onions, and in the afternoon, she collects waste until evening, often staying overnight at the waste collection site due to a lack of transportation. “Collecting plastic and paper waste provides quick money. If I collect 50 kg, I can earn 50,000 rupiah. I also take my child with me while collecting waste. Sometimes, we have to stay overnight if there’s no motorbike. So, my child sometimes goes to school straight from the waste collection site,” Mei explained.
The discussion was lively and engaging. Many stories shared highlighted the urgent need for skill development among women in Ngatabaru Village to enhance family income. Education on health and child education was also emphasized as crucial for the community. The session concluded with a group photo, and we then said our goodbyes and headed back to Palu City.
The insights from Pesaku and Ngatabaru Villages provided valuable input for us in CARE Indonesia, UN Women, and Karsa Institute as we plan activities to strengthen resilience among women and youth in Sigi District. The program plans were presented during the Kick-Off Meeting for the Women and Youth Resilience Strengthening Program at the Sigi Regent’s office. Drs. Nuim Hayat, MM, Secretary of Sigi Ditsrict, who attended the meeting, welcomed the collaborative initiative to enhance resilience among women and youth.
In his speech, Nuim emphasized that building a community adaptable to crises is a collective responsibility, including government institutions. “As the government, all departments and agencies in Sigi must work seriously with partners like CARE and Karsa to ensure that the empowerment of the community, especially women and youth, continues even after the program ends,” he stated.
A collaborative program has officially begun in Sigi. Over the next two years, support and joint activities aimed at strengthening resilience among women and youth will be implemented in six villages: Pombewe, Ngatabaru, Pesaku, Rarapadende, Wisolo, and Ramba. Approximately 10,000 people across these six villages will be engaged to foster resilience and economic benefits grounded in gender equality in the communities.
Writer: Swiny Adestika
Photo Source: YCP Team
