Training Independent Entrepreneurs

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Ines Setiawan

Ines Setiawan, 42, always wanted to be a teacher who doesn’t just teach theories. Through social entrepreneurship, she presents lessons on everyday life. She hopes that all her lessons can empower many people.

Ines has been a natural science teacher at a German school in the Bumi Serpong Damai area, South Tangerang, Banten, since 2009. Dedicating her career to teaching, she feels there are restrictions in the curriculum, which she said only focused on encouraging students to memorize materials for the exam without encouraging them to implement the knowledge they gain in the classroom in life daily. On the other hand, she also feels that teachers cannot develop themselves outside the classroom for various reasons, such as for fear of being disliked by their superiors or for fear of being relocated to other regions.

Out of these concerns, in 2014, Ines established a social entrepreneurship organization focusing on education, the Sustainable Hyper-platform of the Indonesian Network of Educators (SHINE). SHINE aims to empower people who are eager to learn and want to teach through improving the quality and accessibility of education in Indonesia.

SHINE provides a variety of low-cost learning programs that have a big impact. The education program is held face-to-face and also online using the WhatsApp group so that it can reach many interested people from a number of regions. The theme covers 10 areas that relates to crucial issues, including water, food, energy, waste, health, finance and global warming. Anyone can take training from SHINE.

Through food classes, they can slowly be invited to think about other things, such as reducing plastic waste.

Through this forum, Ines provides new knowledge about various things that are actually the implementation of teaching materials in the classroom. This also opens opportunities for teachers to be active outside the classroom. Lately, more and more people with non-teaching backgrounds are also contributing to the SHINE community because Ines opens up opportunities for everyone to share.

Through SHINE, Ines provides various training, ranging from how to make cheese and chocolate and how to use a green screen for the background of a film. SHINE also has a program that takes families for a walk to various places to learn about nature conservation. Initially, Ines herself went to a number of cities to teach. Along with the journey, there are currently 63 active SHINE instructors from a number of regions, reaching the remote Baliem Valley in Papua.

"Why do I teach so much about food? It would be very difficult for me to tell about carbon footprints or to invite people to think about global warming if [their] basic needs are not met. No food, no income. Through food classes, they can slowly be invited to think about other things, such as reducing plastic waste," said Ines in an online interview from her home in the Karawaci area, Tangerang, on April 20 (20/4/2020).

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Ines Setiawan

During the training, Ines usually provides the historical background or scientific explanation of the topic. For example, when she gave a workshop about making cassava sugar as an ingredient for gelato, Ines

first explained that there are three types of carbohydrates, namely monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Starch is an example of a polysaccharide. Then Ines explained how to make cassava starch. This lesson about carbohydrate chains is in the chemistry books of 12th grade students.

Income increases

SHINE food classes teach dairy farmers how to process milk into pure cheese with simple equipment that is available in all family kitchens.

"If you have kitchenware to cook instant noodles, surely the equipment can be used to make cheese," Ines said.

A big problem faced by dairy farmers is the overproduction of milk that they are not able to process. With the ability to process milk into cheese, there is no leftover milk and the selling price rises rapidly. Pure home-made cheese is better than manufactured cheese, which has a low milk content.

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Low-cost SHINE training, which ranges from Rp 35,000 (US$2.36) to Rp 500,000, have a large impact if implemented. One of them, from the cheese training class, was a participant in Margo Utomo, Banyuwangi, East Java, who currently produces cheese from 3,000 liters of milk. Along with the progress of participating businesses, the range of equipment has been upgraded with more modern machines. Job opportunities were also open there. This achievement was obtained only one year after receiving training from SHINE.

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Ines Setiawan

Meanwhile, training on how to make fruit jam helps farmers preserve fruit. Farmers no longer suffer from a drop in fruit prices during harvest season because the fruits have been processed properly and hygienically. Farmers in Songan village, Kintamani, Bali, have been able to preserve their tomatoes, which means they do not have to dump rotten tomatoes because of an abundant supply during harvest.

"My goal is not too big. At the very least, they [training participants] can consume products at lower prices and also of better quality and healthier. After being able to make food for the family, there are some [participants] who are able to sell their produce to increase their income," Ines said.

In Papua, Ines also helps mothers produce food. In Sogokmo village in the Baliem Valley, Papua, for example, mothers had to walk for hours to the market to just to buy sugar. In fact, other sources of carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, are abundant there. She also taught a husband and wife who teach at a state school how to make sugar from sweet potatoes. The teaching couple then trained the mothers so they can make their own sugar.

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Oranges are also abundant there, many of which fall to the ground and decay. Now, mothers in the Baliem Valley have been able to make marmalade, high-quality orange jam, to be supplied to local hotels. The group has expanded to involved 10 families. By being able to make food from local ingredients, Ines also showed that food self-sufficiency will reduce the carbon footprint because food does not need to be brought from far away.

We still need many teachers. There are still many problems in the field.

"We provide a direct solution. It is impossible for us to learn and to become smart first before taking actions to solve existing problems. Problems on the ground require immediate solution," said Ines.

The fees being charged for taking SHINE classes seem to be affordable for most people. But in fact, there are still people who can\'t afford it. For those who cannot afford the training fees, SHINE provides scholarships.

Although she has produced many entrepreneurs from her community, Ines still hopes that more people will be eager to teach and share with others.

"We still need many teachers. There are still many problems in the field," Ines added.

Ines Puspita Setiawan

Born: Banyuwangi, Dec. 30, 1977

Jobs:

- Teacher at Deutsche Schule Jakarta (2009-sekarang)

- Founder of SHINE (2014-present)

- Consultant for Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (2013-present)

Education:

- Internet History, Technology and Security from University of Michigan via Coursera (2013)

- Synapses, Neurons and Brains from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem via Coursera (2013)

- Bachelor of Management from Pelita Harapan University (magna cum laude) (1995-1999).