Indonesian Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini highlighted the nation’s innovations for empowering vulnerable groups while delivering the keynote speech at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In a statement received here on Tuesday, she said that the Indonesian government has launched several intensive social welfare programs to support the poor and vulnerable groups who have been the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout 2021, the programs included disbursement of social cash assistance (Family Hope Program/PKH) to 10 million beneficiaries as well as basic commodities assistance (Non-Cash Food Assistance/BPNT) to 18.8 million beneficiaries, with a value of around Rp105 trillion,” she informed.
Furthermore, the pandemic has left many children orphaned. Hence, the government has also launched a program to support their education and daily needs.
The Social Affairs Ministry has involved persons with disabilities in workshops to make disability tools according to their own specific needs and earn an income through the workshops.
The tools include smart canes for visually impaired persons equipped with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), fire detectors for disabled people, wheelchairs for people with cerebral palsy, as well as modified motorized tricycles for people with disabilities.
The ministry has also established a number of entrepreneurial gallery centers called Sentra Kreasi Atensi (SKA), which showcase local gardening, culinary, and home-made products, as well as provided stalls for tailor shops, beauty parlors, and spas.
“The entrepreneurial gallery centers are run by people who formerly were tramps, beggars, and street vendors,” the minister pointed out.
Her ministry is also working to improve the lives of indigenous people through a number of programs that aim to advance children’s education, health facilities, and other basic needs, while preserving their native cultures.
To expedite the empowerment of people in East Nusa Tenggara, West Papua, and Papua provinces, the ministry is striving to improve the community’s access to the economy by developing fiberglass speedboats and electric motorcycles.
“We are also supporting the development of modern agriculture, fisheries, and food processing from upstream to downstream sectors for Anak Dalam tribe in Jambi province, the Bedouin tribe in Banten province, and Asmat tribe in Papua province,” Rismaharini informed.
In addition, the ministry is providing entrepreneurship training, business capital, and psychological assistance to disaster survivors throughout Indonesia.
However, obstacles have been faced in the disbursal of assistance due to the vast territory of Indonesia, the minister said.
Hence, her ministry has made a major change in data management by matching the Social Affairs Ministry’s Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) with the Home Affairs Ministry’s Population Data to ensure the aid is received by the right beneficiaries quickly.
Source: Antara News