Aspiring and Excelling Women from Kupang

In one village in Kupang District, women received invitations to participate in village programs/ meetings but were only invited to help prepare meals for participants. As women are largely responsible for child care, their only active participation in the village is as Posyandu cadres. Most of the women in the village have at least 15 years of practice as Posyandu cadres. However, they have not had opportunities to participate in other village activities. 

Reduced female participation has since shifted after three women in the village got the opportunity to become leaders of a village forum and village facilitators for the ENVISION (Enabling Civil Society for Inclusive Village Economic Development) program, a cooperation between WVI and EU. Training and mentoring others on GESI (Gender Equality And Social Inclusion) issues have helped shift roles from serving food to leading forum discussions. They even encouraged other women who attended the forum to express their opinions. 

“After the forums, we usually sit together with the women who had spoken their minds in the forums. We wanted to make sure that what was conveyed in the forum was properly recorded,” said Yuliana, one of the three women leaders in this village. 

Yuliana, a mother of two, said that leading a forum is a challenging but important thing for a woman. Women who lead will be an example for other women. In addition, more female aspirations will be accommodated with the representation of women leaders. Sub-village forums often debate over local programs, with a mutual distrust among community members. Yuliana, Lenci and Selfina, are committed to ensuring that women’s voices in each forum at sub-village level are recorded and conveyed to the village government. 

“Whenever I lead a village meeting, I would say to people, especially women, don't be afraid. You need to have the courage to voice your ideas or opinions. Once your idea is said, the government will pay more attention to it. Then, your ideas will be considered as important issues. But if you are afraid and reluctant to talk, then no one will notice your needs,” she continued confidently. 

The perseverance, thoroughness, and leadership of these three women led them to be selected as members of Team 11 for the Preparation of the Village Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMDes). The team acts as a task force consisting of eleven people representing various groups in the village. Yuliana, Lenci, and Selfiana were selected as members to represent women and youth. 

Yuliana, Lenci, and Selfiana do not only participate in village activities but also play key roles in house chores and their household economy. Responsibilities include being a housewife, taking care of their family, a catering business entrepreneur, raising chickens, and selling snacks at a market. Despite these responsibilities, Yuliana, Lenci and Selfiana still took the initiative to improve the lives of young women in the village. 

“Even though our initiative to provide weaving training to youth in the village received backlash, we finally succeeded in convincing the village government to support us. The training was specifically aimed at educating young girls in the village, so that they can have the weaving skill and make money instead of working as female migrant workers that often return home with painful stories,” said Lenci. 

This female triumvirate are determined and have a dream of including young women in village development. They do not want women to apply as migrant workers, risk their lives or become victims of violence. 

Weave training in the village is one solution to empower and protect young girls. “We gained some knowledge from the ENVISION program when we were trained to be village facilitators. At first we were confused about what to do, but this is the result of our perseverance. Now, three of us are the preeminent women in the village,” said Lenci. 

Efforts to empower women are not only about participation in village programs and activities. Women must be accommodated and engaged as equal members of society to men. Yuliana, Lenci, and Selfiana have shown us that women can be leaders in a patriarchal society. They’re paving the way for young and old women in the village. 

Author: ENVISION team member in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara 

Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)