BANTEN — Residing in areas of low to middle socio-economic status, the women of Kragilan District, Serang, are highly motivated to achieve empowerment and independence. Regrettably, prevailing stigmas relegating women’s roles to awaiting their husbands’ return home have restricted their opportunities for personal growth.
In 2018, recognizing these women’s aspirations for self-empowerment, Dompet Dhuafa’s Banten Branch took action. The economic hardships faced by these spirited women prompted Dompet Dhuafa to get involved. That year, Dompet Dhuafa Banten launched the “Rumah Momong” Program as a learning center for underprivileged mothers to access family education. The program’s vision is to foster families that can educate and nurture children who grow up to be happy, intelligent, and self-reliant.
To further the goal of independence, Dompet Dhuafa Banten introduced an empowerment initiative focused on cultivating butterfly pea flowers, branded as Ambudhipa. This project aims to guide economic empowerment through organic farming practices. Presently, 35 women benefit from the Rumah Momong program.
“The mothers participating in this program have pledged to support their children’s education as much as possible,” Nurul Amanah, the Program Companion of Rumah Momong, stated on Sunday (February 4, 2024).
In June 2023, Dompet Dhuafa Banten initiated capital investments in seeds and fertilizer for the benefit recipients to plant in their home gardens. This planting activity was carried out weekly throughout the month. Subsequently, Dompet Dhuafa provided training on cultivation, harvesting, drying, and packaging techniques.
Nur Asiah (48), a benefit recipient of the program, revealed that she has been actively involved in all its activities since Rumah Momong was established in 2018. Motivated by a desire to learn how to actively contribute to creating a peaceful and empowered family, she has remained engaged despite primarily being a homemaker.
“My husband is a casual laborer, mainly working in construction when there are opportunities. Sometimes, he resorts to scavenging when there’s absolutely no work,” she shared with a light laugh.
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Asiah noted that Rumah Momong’s presence has enhanced her relationship with her husband and fostered closer bonds among community members, who are also neighbors. It has inspired her to pursue productive endeavors, such as growing butterfly pea flowers in her yard.
“Rumah Momong is wonderful. I’m very pleased. I make it a point to participate in all its activities, barring any major obstacles,” she added.
In the butterfly pea flower cultivation program, Asiah stands out as one of the most diligent members. Coinciding with the weekly parenting sessions on Thursdays, she regularly contributes at least 200 grams of dried butterfly pea flowers.
Nurul processes and packages the dried flowers into tea ready for sale. The income from each benefit recipient’s flower contributions is meticulously recorded in a savings book. The benefit recipients entirely own the accrued monetary value, with Dompet Dhuafa Banten merely facilitating the calculation and saving process.
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Initially, Dompet Dhuafa Banten sought to empower the community through oyster mushroom cultivation. However, unsuitable high temperatures led to a shift towards butterfly pea flower cultivation. To date, this initiative has faced no significant challenges or losses and has shown continuous improvement.
“The rainy season’s main challenge is the prolonged drying time. Goats and chickens are the biggest nuisances,” Asiah concluded.
Dompet Dhuafa calls for prayers and support from all community sectors to sustain this program’s success. Open to suggestions, advice, and even critiques, the organization hopes this beneficial initiative can synergize and collaborate with similar entities or programs, thus reaching a broader beneficiary base and expanding empowerment efforts more extensively. (Dompet Dhuafa/Muthohar)