Hastuti Setyaningrum founded the Wijaya Kusuma community school in Sleman, Yogyakarta, to train women to turn plastic waste into colorful flower handicraft.
By
Esther Lince Napitupulu
·5 minutes read
Hastuti Setyaningrum, 45, was impelled to empower housewives to become entrepreneurs. She founded the Wijaya Kusuma community school in Sleman, Yogyakarta, to train women to turn plastic waste into colorful flower handicraft.
Since 2014, Hastuti has run training courses for craftsmanship, culinary skills, agriculture and financial management. Initially held just once a month, the activities are now held every Tuesday at 1 p.m. Hastuti\'s house in Wedomartani village, Ngemplak district, Sleman regency, is no longer able to accommodate the increasing number of participants. Some of the courses, which are open to the public, were therefore moved to the pavilion of the Wedomartani village office.
One Tuesday afternoon in late July, Hastuti, together with the management of the Wijaya Kusuma community school (SKWK) held a training session on turning plastic bags into beautiful flower handicraft. Each time a class is held, the participants are also afforded the opportunity to promote their own handicraft. The organizer provides two long tables for displaying the members\' creations: There were batik and jumputan textiles including eco-print cloth, necklaces including pieces of batik cloth, various stuffed animals made from batik cloth as well as and purses and cloth bags. There were also other products, such as various cakes and organic vegetables.
Hastuti explained that the promotion was also aimed at testing the quality of products and the confidence of the participants attending the craftsmanship class. This encourages many participants to sell their creations online.
"It\'s great that what I can do brings benefits. Seeing the participants’ success, being able to be economically independent, it feels good," she said. She is grateful that a number of members can now share their skills with other participants. That way, the craftsmanship class can continue.
As for housewives who are serious about entrepreneurship, Hastuti helps them find assistance from various government agencies. She once received a grant of 20 sewing machines and a lock stitch machine. She was also fortunate to get kitchen utensils to be used by housewives who want to become entrepreneurs in the culinary field. "I only try to provide a forum, to facilitate mothers in getting work tools," said the mother of three.
Social media
Hastuti diligently uploads the training activities to social media. Initially, the classes were attended by some 20 housewives from Hastuti\'s neighborhood. The number of participants continued to grow to more than 200 people from many places in Yogyakarta and Central Java. Hastuti then asked each participant for a contribution of Rp 5,000, so that there was a pool of cash from the SKWK community to sustain the activities. "Many mothers want to have activities that can add value to the family. Through the SKWK, I provide a forum to let mothers develop their potential," she said.
Hastuti\'s engagement to empower housewives began after she resigned as a teacher and school principal. She established a daycare center in her house named TPA Wijaya Kusuma in 2009 and the Wijaya Kusuma reading community (TBM) in 2013.
With the increasing number of activities going on around her home, Hastuti saw an opportunity to engage in social activities. When she noticed that little children in the neighborhood rarely read books, Hastuti made the family\'s book collection available to those children.
"I bring books to the mosque three times a week. While waiting to read the Quran, the children read the books first. If they want to read other books, they can come to my house," she said.
The SKWK community not only holds various training classes. Once they master the skills they are interested in, the participants are encouraged to develop their own businesses. The sales begin right at the training courses.
"In my university years, I made flannel and started a business. I stopped the activity because I was too busy. Then I was inspired to share [my insight] with other mothers. Eventually, it turned out to be growing," Hastuti said.
Hastuti continues to provide a platform for children and women to develop their potential. She opened a dance studio and karawitan studio, which charges Rp 10,000 per visit. The participants also get the chance to explore their cultural interests and hobbies and perform at various events.
Hastuti\'s efforts to empower the community in multiple ways have earned her a number of awards. At the national level, she received the 2018 Creative Recognition TBM award from the Ministry of Education and Culture. She also received a grant for improving literacy in the village.
"I don\'t think my initiative can actually benefit many people. I just want to help housewives with activities, so that they don’t get bored and can contribute to their families," Hastuti said.
Hastuti Setyaningrum
Born: Magelang, 6 July 1974
Education: S-1 IKIP Yogyakarta 1991
Career: Teacher at STM Adipura Magelang (1997-2000); School principal at TPA, KB and TK Amal Insani Maguwoharjo, Depok, Sleman (2004-2009); School principal at TPA Wijaya Kusuma (2009-present); Treasury at Forum TBM Sleman (2013-present);Chairperson of TBM Wijaya Kusuma (2013-present); Chairperson of Wijaya Kusuma community school (2014-present); Chairperson of Wijaya Kusuma art and culture studio (2017-present)
Awards: TMB Creative Recreative from Education and Culture Ministry (2018)