Ministers Praise PNM Mekaar's Women's Empowerment Program

Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Arifah Fauzi, and the Head of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, have lauded the PNM Mekaar program for its effective women's empowerment initiatives. Their praise came during a visit to a PNM Mekaar beneficiary in Bandung on Friday, July 17, 2026.

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Mothers can emulate businesses like Ibu Ema's, because they utilize waste in their surroundings, from organic to inorganic, and then process it into an ecosystem. This is an effort to save our environment while providing economic value for the family.

The visit provided an opportunity to witness firsthand how women from underprivileged backgrounds are building successful businesses. These ventures not only improve family welfare but also contribute positively to their local environments and communities. The ministers observed Ema, a PNM Mekaar participant, who has innovatively developed a circular economy business model. Her enterprise effectively utilizes organic and inorganic waste, cultivating maggots for fish and chicken feed, thereby creating a sustainable business chain.

Minister Arifah Fauzi commended Ema's initiative as a prime example of women's potential to drive change. "Mothers can emulate businesses like Ibu Ema's, because they utilize waste in their surroundings, from organic to inorganic, and then process it into an ecosystem. This is an effort to save our environment while providing economic value for the family," she stated. Fauzi emphasized that such empowerment initiatives foster not only increased income but also spur innovation with simultaneous social and environmental impacts.

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This is an extraordinary business, which is an upstream to downstream business, from maggots to catfish and chickens.

Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti echoed this sentiment, describing Ema's business as an exemplary model of economic empowerment with a complete value chain, from upstream to downstream. She expressed hope that similar successful practices would flourish across various regions, showcasing the resilience of Indonesian women in bolstering family economies and supporting sustainable development. PNM's Director, Kindaris, attributed the beneficiaries' success to continuous support and training, including weekly group meetings and capacity-building sessions, which foster a spirit of learning and independent business growth.

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Hopefully, mothers can be more diligent in attending group meetings and all the support from PNM, so their businesses can grow bigger.