Program Title: Community Economic Empowerment & Institutional Development (part of the “Off-Grid Community-Owned Renewable Energy Project: East Sumba Microgrids” project)
Program Location: East Sumba, 5 villages: Tawui, Lailunggi, Praimadita, Tandula Jangga, Praiwitu
Year Launched/Period: August 2017 – February 2018
Target Beneficiaries: 100 people from 5 targeted villages
Key Issues: Community Development, Poverty
Description:
According to a 2010 study conducted by HIVOS and Winrock International, Sumba Island has the lowest access to electricity, with an electrification rate of only 24.55%. The goal of the project is to increase household income and reduce GHG emissions through increased access to and use of electricity generated from renewable sources.
In early August 2017, WEI conducted a Rapid Rural Assessment and explored options for working with the local people to achieve the goal. Most of the residents work as farmers and fishermen and have experienced crop failures, pest problems, and issues with post-harvest agricultural handling and storage over the past decade, with no community organizations in the area. These communities have low incomes, with traditional farming and agriculture as their primary economic activities. The total male population is 3,396, and the female population is 3,225.
Based on the assessment results, WEI identified the need to enhance the community’s agricultural knowledge, improve product quality through the use of organic fertilizers and locally sourced microbial products, and achieve better results in selling value-added products. With this new knowledge, farmers can reduce their reliance on commercial fertilizers, lower costs, and produce high-quality agricultural products that will ultimately boost their economic well-being. The training also introduced the community to the use of electrical appliances, which will operate on the electricity that will soon provide lighting for the villages. Additionally, we conducted training to build the capacity of BUMDes officials—the institution selected by the community to manage the solar PV system provided by the MCAI Project.
Workshops and training sessions conducted:
- Entrepreneurship & Business Plan
- Agricultural Product
- Microsoft Excel
- BUMDes Management
- Market Survey/Research
- Packaging and Production Cost Analysis
- Value-Added Product
- Village Barn and Storehouse Management
Result:
- Number of beneficiaries reached: 107 people from 5 villages
- Number of areas covered: 5 villages in East Sumba: Tawui, Tandula Jangga, Praimadita, Lailunggi, Praiwitu
- Number of programs offered: 9 topics totaling 41 days of workshops; donation to the Kamanggih Cooperative
Key Funders & Partners:
- Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Indonesia
- Castlerock Consulting