AS WOMEN WE MUST BE STRONG, DONT RELY ON MEN

Below is a message that Sri Mardani (27), a young mother, who is assisted by Wahid Foundation and lives in Klaten, Central Java, is delivering to the women of Indonesia.

Being married at the age of 19 meant that Sri Mardani did not really enjoy her teenage life. Her life has been family-centered, taking care of her husband and raising children.

During her marriage, something had happened at the company where the husband used to work which made the husband lose his job. Inevitably, Sri Mardani had to put her mind on making money.

Before becoming an assisted member of the Wahid Foundation's program, Sri Mardani had been active in entrepreneurship by selling stickers, longan fruit, pulses, and iced drinks. When she became a local facilitator of the Wahid Foundation in January 2018, she has received a lot of training sessions which gave her ideas and guidance on how to become a proper entrepreneur.

Finally, the mother of two children is focussing on developing her Es Kuwut (a typical Balinese iced drink) business which she has now been running for three years. "In the past, I didn't understand marketing techniques and how to serve Es Kuwet with an interesting look. In the Wahid Foundation training sessions, we were taught marketing techniques, things that I really needed to develop my business," she explained.

Thanks to her tenacity, the Es Kuwet business that she has started has grown rapidly. She owns three outlets in Klaten, one outlet in Solo and one in Yogyakarta. Not only getting knowledge about marketing, being an assisted member of the Wahid Foundation made Sri Mardani able to participate in exhibitions of small entrepreneurship and local wisdom, which are routinely held by the Wahid Foundation.

Indirectly these exhibitions have opened up opportunities for Sri Mardani to introduce her products more widely. "If I hadn't taken part in the exhibitions, maybe the Regent of Klaten would not have become my loyal customer," Sri said happily.

This experience has made Sri Mardani  realise other women  feel what she feels. Being a local facilitator opens up Sri's opportunity to share experiences with and empower other women.

"As women, we should not feel satisfied quickly, feeling satisfied for getting married, having a husband and children. If we can empower ourselves and have our own income, why not? At the end of the day, it all goes to our family," she explained.

Organizational activities are pleasing for Sri because she can meet many women from various educational and professional backgrounds. There are farmers, elementary school graduates and undergraduates. Conversations with other members of the assisted groups broadens her horizon and increases her desire to progress in life.

Of course, being a mother with two children is a gift for Sri and she never forgets her duties to care for her children. All of her children’s needs are attended to before doing organizational activities.

Sri Marnadi is determined to be an example for her children; being independent is not something that is impossible. "As women we must be strong, do not depend on men," she concluded with certainty.

By: Ester Pandiangan