On 31st August 2023, HomeNet Southeast Asia (HNSEA) conducted an internal meeting with its Executive Committee and home-based workers leaders. The objective of the meeting was to gain insights from HomeNet Indonesia, one of the three founders of HNSEA, which has successfully organised 6,744 home-based workers.
All participants visited Insan Berdikari Cooperative at Kedaung Wetan,Tangerang, Banten Province, one and a half hours away from Jakarta. This cooperative was established in 2005. Its objective is to enhance the welfare of its 400 members, women home-based workers and women farmers.
The slogan of this cooperative is “From the members and for the members” which emphasises their commitment to the community. The cooperative’s outstanding efforts were acknowledged by the local government, as they were awarded the city’s best cooperative.
The activities and welfare that the cooperative provides for its members are:
- Saving and loan activities - Total saving is 1.7 billion Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), 1 USD is about 15,500.00 IDR. The members can get use of the cooperative's lending service with a minimal interest rate of 2%, which can be used to start or maintain their businesses.
- The cooperative manages the kindergarten for children aged 3.5 years old, before elementary school.
- Members who encounter health issues can also benefit from the cooperative's subsidies, relieving the financial burden during challenging times.
The activities and welfare of this cooperative are in line with the SSE values and principles, such as care for people, interdependence, self-governance, transparency, and accountability for the achievement of decent work and decent livelihoods of its members. The tangible examples they have presented demonstrate that solidarity among women in informal work is possible.
