Final Reporting Session for Online Business Support for Women Micro-entrepreneurs ～Overcoming COVID-19, JICA Partnership Project by Kopernik～

On July 20, 2024, in Yogyakarta, Kopernik Japan (Tokyo) held a final reporting session for the JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project "Capacity Development of Online Sales Skills to Women Support Group and Women Micro Entrepreneurs to Increase Livelihoods" together with the local counterpart, Aisyiyah, one of the largest Islamic women's organizations in Indonesia.

This three-year project, which began in August 2021, supported Indonesian women micro-entrepreneurs in launching or improving online businesses that could be operated from home, addressing challenges such as limitations on face-to-face sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic and high intermediary fees charged. Specifically, the project provided skill training necessary for online business development, including finance, marketing, launching and managing online stores, and public relations, along with individualized support through tailored counseling for each woman entrepreneur. The skill training also included sessions on using the AI tool ChatGPT, helping women entrepreneurs generate ideas such as creating online PR messages.

As a result, the 24 women entrepreneurs who participated in the training saw significant increases in both online sales and profits for their products, which ranged from food items to fashion accessories. Ms. Ayu, one of the women entrepreneurs, stated powerfully, "There was a period when my income stopped due to the impact of COVID-19, but through this program, I succeeded in commercializing my sambal petis sauce (a fermented shrimp paste). Furthermore, I acquired skills in effective PR strategies, creating attractive product photos and videos, and digital marketing using social media like TikTok and WhatsApp, which led to improved brand power. As a result, my sales and profits increased significantly, allowing me to cover my children's educational expenses. My confidence in business has grown tremendously, and I'm now aiming for further growth with a sales strategy that combines online and face-to-face sales. I want to pass on the valuable knowledge and experience gained from this program to other women entrepreneurs."

In addition to supporting women micro-entrepreneurs, the project also strengthened the capacity of seven facilitators from the counterpart organization, Aisyiyah, in providing support to women micro-entrepreneurs, preparing a system for independently conducting training for women entrepreneurs after the completion of the project. Dr.Tri, the General Secretary of the Aisyiyah Central Leadership, stated, "Women's independence and prosperity lead to the well-being of families and entire communities. This project realizes exactly the kind of women's independence support we aim for. Building on this success, we hope to expand the program not only in the Yogyakarta area but throughout Indonesia. We also expect the trained facilitators to play active roles as mentors for women entrepreneurs."

In response to these project outcomes, Ms.Hiromi Tengeji, the Representative Director of Kopernik Japan, the implementing organization, stated, "While Aisyiyah's network of women entrepreneurs has strong cohesion, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was difficult for them to do little more than encourage each other. However, through this program, we witnessed the process of both facilitators and women entrepreneurs gaining great confidence as facilitators acquired skills to teach online business and prepared a system to instruct women entrepreneurs. What's even more encouraging is that not only the facilitators but also the women entrepreneurs are showing enthusiasm for sharing their learnings with other women entrepreneurs. Based on these results, we look forward to further expansion of the initiatives in the future."

This project has been highly evaluated as an initiative for women's empowerment through ICT, as it not only expands and diversifies sales channels but also enables a better work-life balance, enhancing the advantages for women in the workplace. As a result, it has received the 'Constellation Awards 2023' from the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), Asia's largest social investment network, of which JICA is a member.

It is expected that through Aisyiyah's support program, more women micro-entrepreneurs will acquire and actually deploy online business skills tailored to their needs, leading to improved livelihoods.