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| Ainy Fauziyah, one of Tupperware Indonesia’s ‘She Can!’ award winners, gave up a good, stable job in Jakarta to help rebuild homes in post-tsunami Aceh. (JG Photo/Sylviana Hamdani) |
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Traditionally,
the only roles available to women in Indonesia were “masak, macak dan manak”
(cooking, dressing up and bearing children). But today, this is far from the
truth.
With better
education and increased opportunities, Indonesian women are taking more active
roles. They are now leaders, motivators and key decision-makers in their
families, businesses and society.
On Dec. 8,
Tupperware Indonesia honored 52 exceptional women who have made differences in
their communities with the “Tupperware She Can!” awards.
“Despite
their gentle physiques, women have a very strong power and influence,” said
Nining Pernama, managing director of Tupperware Indonesia. “And as we looked
around, we found those who use their skills and knowledge to educate, enlighten
and empower other people around them.”
The 52
winners received trophies, certificates and prize money totaling Rp 832.5
million ($92,000) for their life-changing social works.
“I’ve often
heard that the greatest power of Indonesia is its natural resources,” said Rick
Goings, chairman and chief executive of Tupperware Brands. “I can tell you that
in the many times I’ve been here and through the many people that I’ve gotten
to know, the greatest power in Indonesia is its women.
“The ‘She
Can!’ women are not only symbols but are also role models for many young women
in Indonesia for the future.”
According
to the 2010 census, there are nearly 240 million Indonesians, about half of
whom are women.
“With that
many women in the population, women are an asset and hold a lot of potential
for this country,” said Sri Danti Anwar, deputy minister for women’s
empowerment and child protection. “These women inspire their peers to work as
equals to men, to be the best they can be and to empower other people around
them.’’
Each winner
has an amazing story, and here we highlight three of these strong and
inspirational women.
Asmarani
Rosalba, Jakarta
Under the
pen name “Asma Nadia,” this 39-year-old has written more than 40 fiction and
non-fiction books, as well as short stories and song lyrics.
Two of her
best-selling novels, “Emak Ingin Naik Haji” (“Mom Wants to Go on a Hajj
Pilgrimage,” 2009) and “ Rumah Tanpa Jendela” (“House Without Windows,” 2011)
have been made into movies. A third adaptation, “Ummi Aminah,” will be in
theaters in January.
“I’ve never
thought I’d be who I am now,” she said. “Our family was poor and I was raised
in a small, dilapidated house near the railway. But I have a wonderful mother
who has always encouraged me to dream big.”
Her mother,
Maria Eri Susianti, stayed by Asmarani’s side when she was diagnosed with
severe heart and lung problems in her teens. At the same time, doctors
discovered five tumors on her neck.
“I spent so
many days in the hospital when I was young,” she said. Yet it was during those
dark days that her appetite for reading grew. Her mother brought a lot of books
to accompany her in the hospital.
Today,
Asmarani is the chief executive of her own company, Asma Nadia Publishing
House, and chairwoman of her foundation, Yayasan Asma Nadia.
Through
Yayasan Asma Nadia, she has set up 37 libraries in Java, Kalimantan and Papua,
as well as two libraries in Hong Kong for Indonesian migrant workers.
“This event
has inspired me to do more,” she said. “I met [social advocate and fellow award
winner] Roostien Ilyas recently and we are planning to create libraries in
juvenile detention halls around Jakarta.”
Ainy
Fauziyah, Bekasi
“Everyone’s
born a glorious winner,” motivational coach Ainy Fauziyah said. “But it’s up to
them to achieve their dreams.”
Born in
Bangil, a small town in East Java, in 1969, Ainy had to work hard to achieve
her own dreams of “making it big.”
“Our family
wasn’t rich,” she said. “My father’s a farmer and my mother’s a seamstress.
Yet, when I was a child, I saw them working very hard for their children
without complaining. I guess it inspired me to work hard to try to make them
proud.”
Ainy had a
good career as the assistant to the planning manager at a state-owned public
housing business in Jakarta, but she decided to leave it all behind when a
friend asked her to help rebuild Aceh after it was hit by the December 2004
tsunami.
“No one
understood my decision back then. Only my husband stood by me. He truly
understands my heart for the people.”
In May
2005, Ainy joined a nonprofit international organization in Aceh.
“I was the
only woman and the only Indonesian among the shelter coordinators in the
organization,” she said.
She rebuilt
hundreds of homes in Lhokseumawe, in northwestern Aceh.
“It’s easy
to build homes, but it’s really difficult to rebuild the people’s lives after
the disaster,’’ she said.
Yet Ainy
saw that trial as an opportunity.
Rebuilding
requires a lot of manpower. While Acehnese men helped with the construction of
houses, Ainy encouraged the local women to help paint them.
“We gave
them a little training and they did a wonderful job,” she said. “They were also
very proud of themselves because they could earn a salary for themselves and
their family during the difficult time.”
Her
painting team grew from 35 to 500 women within a couple of years.
“It’s
touching to watch them gain confidence with their new skills,” she said. “Some
of them could even put their children through school with their earnings.”
Her program
was considered an exemplary success, and Ainy was invited to speak at
international conferences.
Today, she
is back in Jakarta. She manages her own company, Ainy Coaching, offering
motivational and leadership programs in Indonesia and abroad.
But once a
week, you can find her at Rumah Dhuafa Indonesia (Home for Indonesian Orphans)
in Bekasi, giving motivational lectures to less fortunate kids.
“I want to
build their hopes and confidence for the future,” Ainy said. “If I can overcome
difficulties and achieve my dreams, they can do it also.”
Nuraeni,
Makassar
Nuraeni was
a housewife and mother of three young children in Paotere, Makassar, when her
husband, a fisherman, died from a motorbike accident in 2004.
With no
work experience, she scrambled to make a living. She opened a small warung at
her house but could not earn enough.
Her life
changed in 2006, when she went to a workshop organized by an NGO, which taught
her a process to preserve fresh fish.
Nuraeni,
42, then collected leftover fish from the markets to make abon ikan tuna
(preserved shredded tuna).
Her tasty
products became popular in Makassar, but Nuraeni did not stop at that. She
started looking around and saw the dire poverty experienced by many fishermen’s
families in her village.
“Many have
become ensnared by punggawas [moneylenders] just to make ends meet,” she said.
“The moneylenders then take 50 to 60 percent of their daily catch as payment
for their debts. The fishermen barely had enough to provide for their families
and had to borrow more.’’
To help
break this vicious cycle, Nuraeni founded the Fatimah Az-Zahra cooperative in
2007. Fishermen’s wives learn to make abon ikan tuna and preserved boneless
ikan bandeng (milkfish) to sell in the markets. With the additional income, the
women can help their husbands repay their debt.
But not
everyone is impressed with Nuraeni’s efforts.
“I’ve
received countless death threats from moneylenders,” Nuraeni said.
They have
also started rumors among the fishermen’s families that Nuraeni was just using
them to get rich herself.
“But I
explained everything and invited them to take a look at my [financial] books,’’
she said. “I’ve got nothing to hide and nothing to be afraid of.”
The Fatimah
Az-Zahra cooperative now includes more than 200 women.
“I’m happy
to be part of a positive change among my people,” she said.
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