Questions/Answers

Women face more complex problems and difficulties to move out of poverty compared to men, especially when they are the head of the households and have to provide for the children. It happens because they have limited access at professional world and their work mostly valued cheaper than the work of men. Therefore, the single mothers have the lowest level of welfare East Java has 152,343 poor single mother households at the lowest 10% of poverty rate. It is the largest nationally. Therefore, Jalin Matra Feminization of Poverty Alleviation (FPA) was initiated by Village and Community Empowerment Agency of East Java Province. The Feminization of Poverty Alleviation is an effort to alleviate poverty from single mother households (SMH) so they can sustainably provide for their families. IDR 2,500,000 were given to each of them as business fund. Ten percent of the aid money was allocated for their main daily needs. With participatory deliberative method, single mothers were given freedom to choose their kind of businesses. In the implementation, to use the fund, the single mother households were guided by female activists. With a concept of mother care, the activists motivated and provided assistance in business management, business networking and marketing techniques. It makes Feminization of Poverty Alleviation innovative. From 152,343 poor single mother, about 76,283 have been targeted by this innovation for four years (2014-2018). FPA innovation is a government intervention which have been replicated many times. The single mother welfare has improved and their families have better education and quality of life. This intervention has changed the paradigm as the women have more active roles. They are no longer the second-class community but equal with the men and they can even have better welfare.

Jalin Matra Feminization of Poverty Alleviation (FPA) Aid Program is an initiative of The Governor of East Java as a government intervention to the growing number of single mother households. The single mothers head the households and become the household main providers for some reasons. First, they were divorced; second, their husbands died; third, they were abandoned; fourth, their husbands have disabilities which prevent them from having a productive life; and fifth, they are completely alone. The single mothers have the lowest level of welfare. They are at the lowest 10% of poverty rate (decile 1) based on the Unified Database (BDT) for social protection programmes of National Acceleration Team of Poverty Alleviation (TNP2K /www.tnp2k.go.id). This initiative was a new approach to assist the poor widow. They did not merely become the aid recipients and targets of the aid, but they were involved directly in the policy. This FPA Aid has changed the paradigm. The Single Mothers Household (SMH) were given freedom to choose the form of business after they had received the business fund. With this freedom to choose, the single mothers had the main role in the improvement of their economic condition.

Feminization of Poverty Alleviation (FPA) was an aid program conducted by giving IDR 2,500,000 to decile 1 single mother households (SMH) as business fund. 10% of the aid money may be used to buy their main daily provision. However, the fund was given so they could start their own small businesses of their choices. As they may decide the kind of business by themselves, the program showed that women are not merely the target but they also had roles in gender equality and women empowerment. It empowers the single mothers to get access in business, to participate socially, to express their aspiration, to decide their own businesses and to explore their potentials in order to improve their welfare. The program implementation involved active participation of the single mothers by inviting them in a forum and discussing their aspiration, needs and plans on their productive businesses. The women were given more role as the local female activists were also involved to guide them during their business development. The guidance was given with a concept of mothercare, so the women got even more motivated and understood the business management better. The activists (mothercare) worked as the agents of change in this initiative.

FPA initiative has contributed to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, the fifth goal of SDGs. It has been able to empower and train 53,585 poor single mothers (SMH) and motivate them to start their businesses. It gave IDR.2,500,000 as business fund to each SMH and they determined their own kind of business. It involved 3,611 female activists from the villages’ Family Welfare Movement (PKK). They guided and motivated the SMH to be independent financially, so they could manage their businesses. Through mothercarejatim.id website, the SMH business network has been created and it promotes the products of the small businesses. The program also realized the first goal of SDGs, to end poverty, as the poverty dynamic analysis of TNP2K showed an improvement of welfare from the SMH by 42.68%, from the lowest 10% income (decile 1), they improved 20-40% higher (decile 2-4). The program also created full and productive employment and decent work for all (eighth goal of SDGs). The evaluation by Brawijaya University showed that the program has created more kinds of businesses, from commerce with 53.17%, animal farming with 29.09%, services area with 7.66%, food business with 4.01%, to crafts business with 4.13%.

The Feminization of Poverty Alleviation (FPA) has given the poor single mother households (SMH) a chance to participate in East Java’s development, by improving business opportunities, increasing business motivation, giving productive business fund as a stimulant worth IDR 2,500,000 each of them according to their need. With this initiative, poverty Alleviation has broadly affected family welfare. Single mother has the tendency to prioritize the welfare of their family members better than male headed households. Hence, their increasing income is expected to improve the education and health quality of their family. Therefore, they and their family members will have better access to public services. Besides, single mother household interaction with their liaison from the local village female activists called mother care not only encourages them to run business; it also makes them aware of their rights as women and citizen as well, so they will have higher awareness of their family. They will be able to lead their family members to access fundamental public services such as family card, ID card, and birth certificate

FPA impacted positively during its implementation from 2014 to 2017. This program raised Gender Development Index (GDI) for 1.55 points. GDI was 90.22 in 2013 and 91.77 in 2016, which proved the successful intervention. There was a 276,010 (1.53%) decrease in East Java poverty number; from 4,893,010 people (12.73%) in September 2013 to 4,617,000 (11.20%) in September 2017. There was also a 42.68% increase in SMH welfare index. Since implemented, FPA has changed 53,585 SMH lives. Besides capable of fulfilling their primary needs independently and sustainably, their own business assets, run business network, and have much better technical skills than before. The innovation’s domino effect is also experienced by 198,265 SMH young family members. They receive better education than their parents. Along with the improving financial life, SMH raise environmental and social awareness. They acknowledge women rights. This happens concurrently with the interaction between them and the local female activists. The 3,611 activists spread the entrepreneurship spirit, gender equality, environmental awareness, and business techniques to them intensively. The interaction between stimulus recipients and female activists has formed 3,611 community groups to strengthen SMH social asset and create social activity for 178 regional activists in escorting their empowerment.

Women’s life in Indonesia is harder than men’s, especially regarding social pressure and job access. Women are referred to second-class citizens. Take farming, women are paid half from men because they are considered weaker and less skillful. Community finds working women taboo because they neglect the housework. Being a divorcee in Indonesia is also tough. Women are blamed, judged as the main cause of divorces, young marriages, to domestic violence. Most people find divorcees nasty. Singe Households Mother (SMH) struggle against harder life adversity than the males. Women experience more difficulties in freeing themselves from poverty, moreover they who are in the lowest 10% welfare level. This situation makes Feminization of Poverty Alleviation innovative. In East Java, poor SMH reach 152,343 households, the national highest number. Mainly 76,283 SMH among them have been addressed by this innovation from 2014 to 2018. This program becomes more innovative since it changes the paradigm to women. Women who are usually the target now turn to be the main actor. Implementing deliberative participatory principle, they are asked in person to think of and suggest a form of business. This empowers them to be more than second-class citizens, makes them as important as men.

Feminization of Poverty Alleviation (FPA) Initiative is an original innovation from East Java Government. The Governor, initiated a special program for poor single mother and appointed Regional Research Board (Bappeda), Community and Village Empowerment Agency (DPMD), and Brawijaya University to design this Program. There are two main strategies. First, Single Mother Household (SMH) empowerment strategy through cash transfer stimulus for productive economic business and to fulfill basic needs. Second, economic, social, cultural, and psychological problem-solving strategy through mother care program. Mothercare is an innovation in assistance program for SMH business stimulus recipients. The innovation is called mothercare because it involves motherly assisting figures who care and become the interaction node and liaison between SMH. The objective is to give them hope and support to struggle together against poverty. The role of mothercare here is essential because they prevent this innovation from becoming a merely financial aid, but a real business stimulus which will fulfill SMH basic needs sustainably. Not only having technical competence, mothercare figures should also be familiar with target. Some considerations in choosing them are their mental maturity, ability to give protection, sustainable facilitation, and social legitimation. Without such qualifications, the mothercare concept will be unsuccessful.

There were several resources used for the program. First was Financial Resource. Fund needed was IDR 292.7 billion (2014-2018) for: a. SMH business stimulus, IDR 196.7 billion for 78,679 SMH. b. Village and mother care Operational, IDR 35 billion for 2,541 Villages. c. Regencies/Cities Secretariat Operational, IDR 15 billion for 37 Regencies/Cities. d. Assistance Operational by Brawijaya University LPPM, IDR 16 billion. e. Provincial Secretariat Operational, IDR 30 billion. Second was Human Resources. Stakeholders involved from levels of province to villages, universities, civil society were coordinated by the Governor. Each was given a role and responsibilities organized in FPA/Jalin Matra Secretariat: a. Regional Secretariat as the Head of Provincial Secretariat worked with DPMD, Bappeda, Women Empowerment and Family Planning Agency, BPS-Statistics Indonesia, Industry and Commerce Agency, Cooperative Agency, Regional Research Board, and PKK as the members. b. Brawijaya University, Airlangga University, and Malang State University to guide, assist, and recruit liaisons and village PKK Cadres and facilitate program implementation. c. Regional Secretariat which was coordinated by DPMD. d. Civil Society, 3,611 female activists as mother care. Third was Technical Resources, which took form on East Java Governor Regulation on Jalin Matra/FPA General Guidelines which was published annually.

Yes

Feminization of Poverty Alleviation (FPA) Aid Program has been replicated in 9 regencies: 1.Bojonegoro Regency, targeting 2,797 SMH with IDR. 7.69 billion allocated fund; 2.Sampang Regency, targeting 1,562 SMH with IDR. 4.75 billion allocated fund; 3.Ponorogo Regency, targeting 3,110 SMH with IDR. 3.29 billion allocated fund; 4.Tuban Regency, targeting 474 SMH with IDR. 1,19 billion allocated fund; 5.Lamongan Regency, targeting 1,000 SMH with IDR. 1 billion allocated fund; 6.Lumajang Regency, targeting 272 SMH with IDR. 680 million allocated fund; 7.Probolinggo Regency, targeting 215 SMH with IDR. 537 million allocated fund; 8.Magetan Regency, targeting 175 SMH with IDR. 350 million allocated fund; 9.Situbondo Regency, targeting 36 SMH with IDR. 114 million allocated fund. Replications conducted as commitment towards a Memorandum of Understanding between the Governor of East Java and the regents. It was about the support given for guidance and funding for FPA of East Java for 2014-2018. The replication was conducted with the same pattern but different target. The targets of the regency government were different from the target of East Java government, so all single mothers in East Java (152,343 SMH) can be covered and get the benefits from this innovation.

FPA innovation gave thorough treatments to the single mothers, not only in economic aspect but also social aspect. Some workshops were held in collaboration with Laboratory of Agricultural Technology Faculty of Brawijaya University, Malang, Regional Cooperative and UKM Agency as well as the practitioners of small and medium-sized enterprises. The kinds of workshop given were adjusted with the need of the single mothers (SMH), such as on batik craftsmanship, baking, offerings craftsmanship, dairy product and fish product processing. The technical guidance on business management was also given by the guides (mother care), from business administrative management, business site lay out to product packaging. The products from the SMH were introduced and promoted through small and medium sized enterprises’ product exhibition at local and national scale. The promotion is also continuously done through the website on www.mothercarejatim.id as the media for the network of SMH. On the website, the profile and the kind of products are displayed. From the treatments given, the SMH increase their business income to IDR 750.000 in an average month. It really helps the SMH in providing tuition fee for their children. Before the program, their education stopped at Elementary School. With this increasing income, their children can continue to middle schools. Some SMH even had the ability to send their children to college. For their business development, especially on funding, the government of East Java has given them easy and cheap loans through Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Government’s owned Bank. With these treatments, FPA showed sustainability because the recipients of the program can really be business practitioners. The mother care activists did not only give them technical skills, but they also gave input on social consciousness in maintaining their business and change the paradigm that women are helpless.

Jalin Matra Feminization of Poverty Alleviation is done continuously. The innovation has been conducted regularly by the Provincial Government of East Java since 2014. The pilot project was started in 2014 and targeted 3,309 single mothers (SMH) in 54 villages. Since then, the target of the program was extended in scale. The program reached 14,568 SMH in 416 villages in 2015, 11,828 SMH in 373 villages in 2016, 23,880 SMH in 785 village in 2017, and 25,094 SMH in 903 villages. The innovation will be continuously implemented until the single mothers can moving out of poverty and live like others. The 78,679 SMH have been empowered and guided by 3,661 mother care (female activists) since 2014 with budgeting strategies as follows: a. The budget for mother care guidance activities from 2014 to 2018 was allocated by the Provincial Government of East Java. b. The regency government supported the continuity of mother care guidance for single mother households by allocating some fund from each budgeting from 2014 to 2018. c. The village officials through Village Fund allocated some of its community empowerment fund to support the continuity of guidance from 2019 and the following years. Business workshops for the single mothers will continuously held: a. From 2014 to 2018, the business continuity of poor single mother household was prioritized and the business development will be prioritized through the expansion of their business network. b. Business workshops for poor single mother were adjusted with the potentials of the village so creative economic business were expected to grow. Furthermore, poor single mother has always been facilitated to get business fund and it is the priority of Small Medium Enterprises Bank.

Yes

The formal evaluation of the implementation of FPA implementation was conducted in stages. First, there were evaluations from universities. In 2014, it was conducted by Airlangga University. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, it was conducted by Brawijaya University. Besides the universities, the Provincial Secretariat also monitored and evaluated the program implementation. There were three stages, first, they monitored the disbursement of fund. It was done after the fund was transferred from the account of Provincial Government to the Village administrations. Secondly, monitoring and evaluation was done during the fund distribution to the single mothers. Thirdly, there was an evaluation of the impact of the program at least six months after the Single Mother Household (SMH) started their businesses to see whether the recipients of the program improved their incomes. FPA Implementation Team (Brawijaya University) also evaluated to know the effectiveness of program implementation in reality and to get inputs from SMH to determine the kind of workshop to be organized. There was also an evaluation during the report gathering attended by village officials, village legislative, community figures and Single Mother Household as the recipients of the fund as a form of transparency of the program implementation.

The Brawijaya University evaluation result in 2017 showed that 93.57% of the program implementation targeted the right people, 95.45% of the business fund was distributed with the right amount, 95.56% of SMH felt that the program was useful, 92.21% of them were motivated to start business, 64.77% of Single Mother Household had income improvement, and 92.69% considered that the environment responded and supported SMH business. Brawijaya University evaluation result in 2016 showed that the program was implemented well. The success indicator analysis showed 98.35% of success rate. Output analysis showed more diverse of businesses. Commerce area reached 49.12% with 60.09% improvement of business. Impact analysis showed that it improved the SMH income, their business development reached 70.61% and 63.18% of it had improvement of income by IDR 750,000. Social impact of FPA was seen from the improved motivation of SMH to start businesses, as 96.31% of the recipients were motivated greatly to run their businesses. Airlangga University evaluation result in 2015 showed positive impact as 97% recipients were ready to manage their businesses, while the rest still needed guidance from the mothercare activists. 92% of program recipients showed commitments to manage the business fund given to them.

There were some indicators used in the innovation. First, accuracy indicator. It used the unified database (decile 1) or selected Single Mother Households (SMH) from the community discussion. The recipients of the program were single mothers who were still productive. The second indicator was from the amount of money/aid given, allocation of business fund for main business, supporting business and the main provision of single mother households. The third indicator was on the benefit of the program implementation, psychologically, economically and socially. The single mother households got the benefit and they were motivated. And then there is improvement on income, business capital and assets. For social aspect, their participation was improved and the environment supported their businesses. Other indicator was seen from the quality of life. It can be achieved from education degree, health condition, ability to get the main provision. An analysis on post-program monitoring and business development facility was done.

The program was designed based on good governance which involved all government level, from the provincial to village government, communities, universities, local female activists (PKK) and civil society. The initiative was from the provincial government and the Governor was the advisor. The cross-sectoral coordination involved TKPK (Regional Team for Poverty Alleviation) and the leading unit was the regional village and community empowerment agency (DPMD). Secretariats were formed at province, regencies until villages. In the province and regencies, the members were from officials/staffs specifically assigned by regional government agencies such as: with DPMD, Bappeda, Women Empowerment and Family Planning Agency, BPS-Statistics Indonesia, Industry and Commerce Agency, Cooperative Agency, Regional Research Board; Brawijaya university and PKK Movement Team. Communities were fully involved in this innovation, the Single Mother Households as the recipients of program, activists of PKK, local legislative and empowerment board, and local stakeholder. The involvement of universities can be seen from the participation of Brawijaya University through its Institute of Research and Community Development (LPPM). LPPM is the partner of provincial government which provided human resources support, community empowerment guidance, science and technology, community development and training. They were also involved for program database analysis and management, monitoring and evaluation. Civil society involvement could be seen from the facilitators from the regency and PKK. They have skills on social empowerment. They worked together with the executive team and mother care activist in the village.

There were many lessons to learn from the initiative to make it even better. Feminization of Poverty Alleviation (FPA) is not only the job of government but also other stakeholders from village level to provincial level. The active involvement of PKK Movement Team, academics, and volunteers of community empowerment to pay attention to the fate of Single Mother Households (SMH) is needed so their welfare can improve. Furthermore, legal support is also needed. All the program legalities, from the Governor’s Decree, allocated budgeting must be approved and supported by the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD). In the future, this innovation should be implemented with the budget in each regency/city in the province. It will be the model for the better national FPA. The government were concern with their welfare, held a discussion with them to find solutions for their problems. SMH should be considered as subjects by pushing them to be active in improving their own welfare. The role of mother care activists to guide the SMH was important. They do not only need help but also support and guidance. The development of information system with unified database (online and offline) can monitor the SMH financial condition.