MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA – General Secretary of ‘Aisyiyah Tri Hastuti highlighted that women should adapt to technology to thrive as entrepreneurs.
“Adapting to technology is essential for improving women’s economic well-being as business owners,” stated Tri at ‘the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) NGO Networking: Building Bridges: Fostering Collaboration between Japanese and Indonesian NGOs’ in Jakarta on Thursday, February 27.
Through the ‘Aisyiyah Council for Economic and Employment Council, ‘Aisyiyah has partnered with JICA on the Kopernik project, providing targeted support to 24 women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) between 2019 and 2023.
Tri emphasized that MSMEs are vital to Indonesia’s economy, creating jobs and driving growth. Notably, women manage 64.5% of these businesses. However, many still struggle to expand their enterprises.
“Women entrepreneurs face several challenges, including limited access to capital, lack of skills, low self-confidence, difficulty adapting to technology, marketing struggles, and the added burden of family responsibilities,” explained Tri.
To address these challenges, ‘Aisyiyah, through the Council, has launched various empowerment programs, such as cooperative development, the ‘Aisyiyah Entrepreneurship School (SWA), and BUEKA (‘Aisyiyah Family Economic Development Program).
“Currently, ‘Aisyiyah manages 475 cooperatives, 3,235 BUEKA programs, 39 SWA locations with 3,194 graduates, and 41 online SWA programs with 3,060 graduates,” mentioned Tri.
The collaboration between JICA, Kopernik, and ‘Aisyiyah aims to equip women entrepreneurs with essential skills in online marketing, product packaging, photography, and business management.
Tri emphasized that this partnership aligns with ‘Aisyiyah mission and strengthens the efforts to elevate women-led MSMEs.
“Providing intensive support to women entrepreneurs also contributes to the Indonesian government’s goal of fostering women’s economic independence,” said Tri.
