The Community Empowerment Award for Rector of Bogor Agricultural University
In relation to the 15th Anniversary Celebration of Dana Sejahtera Mandiri Foundation, the Foundation has granted to one of pearl of nation (mutiara bangsa) of the year, to the national higher education administrators, heads of municipality (pimpinan daerah), administrators of Posdaya and the bankers, one those awards went to Rector of Bogor Agricultural University, Prof.Dr.Ir. Herry Suhardiyanto, M. Sc. He was selected as one of those award recipients, as he was considered to have initiative and very concern in family and community empowerment programs through Posdaya.
The award was granted by the Chairman of Yayasan Dana Sejahtera Mandiri, Prof. Dr. Haryono, in a series of programs held by TVRI Jakarta, on 15 January 2011, at 19:00 to 22:00 pm. The itinerary of the program consisted “get together with the Foundation partners”, “talk shows”, “the awards giving reception” and “art performance”. The program was broadcasted lively by TVRI Jakarta and relied by regional stations. In addition to the Rector of IPB, other awards were granted to the Rectors the following universities: (1). UPI Bandung; (2). Unsoed Purwokerto; (3). UNMER Malang; (4). USW Yogyakarta; (5). University Ronggolawe Tuban; and (6). UNG Gorontalo. Integrated Posdaya Mandiri, Cikarawang Village, which was developed by Bogor Agricultural University, was also among the recipients of the award.
Priority Program of Damandiri Partners
One day prior to the celebration of its 15th Anniversary, the Dana Sejahtera Mandiri Foundation had organized the Meeting with its partners with the theme "Empowering Families to Alleviate the Poverty and the Development of Family-based Prosperous Families, Small and Micro Enterprises through Posdaya". As Chairman of the Damandiri Foundation, Prof. Dr. Haryono Suyono, has stated his point of views as follows. To support the development and the empowerment of the family program, for the successful implementation of the justifiable nation building, the Damandiri Foundation has focused on five priorities or pillars of strength of the development.
The first priority, pre-prosperous families in rural and urban areas through the establishment and formation of Post Family Empowerment (Posdaya). About 8000 Posdaya were developed in some areas, and those which were evaluated to have successful performance will be selected to be the center of education and training of Posdaya for families from other regions who want to develop Posdaya. Financial support from the Foundation will be prioritized to support the training and formation of Posdaya for empowering families and communities to overcome family-based poverty, to sustain the development of the community and micro and small enterprises independently. The second priority, increasing commitment and facilitation support from central and local government levels, especially in the field line. Third, increased support for family empowerment through participation with activities of Tri Dharma of Higher Education, primarily with thematic Posdaya Field Work Experience. Fourth, increased support for financial institutions through financial inclusion program in order to increase micro, small and medium enterprises are more just and caring towards others by emphasizing the reciprocal relationship with Posdaya, and fifth, increased support for community organizations working with the Indonesian National Council for Social Welfare (DNIKS) or other community organizations.
Effort of first pillar in the year 2011 will be focused to increase of the number of Post Family Empowerment (Posdaya), with a capital of about 8000 existed Posdaya Programs their number should be doubled, more organized and more facilited, and more distributed especially in areas with a lot of poor or many marginalized families. The development Posdaya will be intensified through the four pillars of strength in an integrated development, mainly with the facilitation of local government, KKN Thematic of Posdaya, Savings Conscious Movement, credit facilities, and dynamic of social organizations activities, or the integration of those activities. Posdaya coaching responsibility will be handed in to cadres in their respective regions with the sustainable support by the provincial, district, city.
The formation of Posdaya in different regions will be the main priority bywhich the four other pillars are expected to utilize this formation as the forum and vehicle for the empowerment of families towards family welfare. Facilitation of local governments are directed to form, fill and develop Posdaya with the support of all SKPD and its grassroots level staff. Tri Program of Higher Education with KKN thematic Posdaya was directed to establish and develop human resources capable of fostering and developing Posdaya activities to achieve MDGs goals and targets, especially poverty alleviation and promoting justifiable development.
Programs and activities of Posdaya will be geared toward the triger of the achievement of MDGs targets significantly. The programs aimed to encourage each family to be facilitator of the justifiable development, and care with others. Therefore, pro-people programs will be increased into people to people program to enable people not only as spectators, but to the smart and diligent and independent actors for the dynamic development.
The Non-government institutions in rural communities will be regarded as the embryo of the Posdaya and will be established to be Posdaya after being reorganized and facilitated by the Working Group or essencial activities of the target of the MDGs. It is expected in a short time the number of the Posdaya will significantly increase, whereas the communities will be guided or directed to be more intelligent in accomplishing the goals and MDGs targets carefully and successfully.
Activities on the second pillar was implemented through socialization Presidential Instruction No. 3 of 2010 which specifically aims to encourage the increased justifiable development program. Their activities include three main programs, namely pro-people program, the justifiable program for all, and a program to achieve the Millennium Development Goals Ages. Pro-people programs are family-based poverty reduction programs, poverty reduction programs on community-based empowerment, and poverty reduction programs on empowerment-based of micro and small enterprises
The justifiable program for all was focused for justifiable program for children, for women, labours, legal aid, legal and judicial reform and justice for the poor and marginalized. Programs achieving the Millennium Development Goals include efforts to reduce poverty and hunger, achieving universal basic education, achieving gender equality and empowerment of women, reduction in child mortality rate and maternal health, control of HIV / AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and support the acceleration of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in general.
Socialization process has been accompanied by efforts to encourage local governments to take active steps to encourage the formation and facilitation of Posdaya with justifiable development programs. In case of the areas with existed Posdaya, either organized by the society, by Posdaya KKN Thematic or by social institutions, and local governments through various SKPD (Satuan Kerja Perangkat Daerah) were encouraged to integrate the justifiable Development Program into the socio-economic development activities in Posdaya family. On the other hands, programs that were introduced and carried out by families and communities through Posdaya, were introduced and integrated in the programs initiated by the government.
Third pillar will explore any possibilities to invite as many universities as prossible to implement Presidential Instruction No. 3 of 2010 on the Tri Dharma University activities, particularly through a Thematic KKN Posdaya. Cooperation with various universities will be intensified through the facilitation of the Ministry of National Education, particularly the Directorate General of Higher Education and its dynamic widely distributed agents.
Damandiri Foundation Support will be directed to prepare coordination, advocacy, synergy, initiation and reliance grants in the form of contest prizes such as scholarships, research funds, or other attractive support such as travel grants or home coming students to build and fill Posdaya in their home village. Support for the development Posdaya will be realized as the expansion of the range of activities, training and familiarization for the development of better quality and independent Posdaya.
To improve the meaningful support, many universities are given the opportunity to develop comparative study programs across local governments, universities or social community institutions that involved directly in the justifiable development program, particularly those which develop programs which are related to the objective and targets of MDGs through Posdaya.
To stimulate the implementation of the fourth pillar, starting this year partnership between the Damandiri Foundation and banks that provide credit funds (Pundi) will be encouraged to change into the Financial Inclusion program, it was to realize the Saving Conscious Program as an effort to build an independent society. This program was followed by the provision of Pundi credit for the development of the business, and the limit of this credit was under Rp. 10 million or an amount which appropriately visible for family-based businesses that have already become members of the groups or cooperatives. Pundi Credit will be developed with crash prorams of family empowerment through the Family Empowerment posts (Posdaya), that were promoted through sustainable and various community development mechanisms.
The banks customers with high credit limit are recommended to establish linkage with microfinance institutions as already developed by BPD (Java East Development Bank) and other BPR some time ago. Thus, the banks which its credit system haven’t yet oriented to the Financial Inclusion movement, that provide credit with justice, will be encouraged to channellize their funds to the banks or other financial institution which are closely related to the micro enterprises run by Posdaya as a joint venture or cooperative, whose members are mainly women or young families.
To perform the fifth pillar, Damandiri Foundation will increase cooperation with Indonesian National Council of Social Welfare (DNIKS) in encouring social institutions to deploy more expertises to Posdaya in rural areas to develop professional resources to help families build preventive efforts. The professionals who have joined various social institutions such as orphanages and others, are expected to become trainers to develop a network at the Posdaya level to help families make prevention or dealing with members who have the social problems.
Damandiri Foundation will also appeal to social or other economic organizations to integrate their programs with Posdaya formation of social capital for mutual help in communities rejuvenated. Cooperative, the PKK, a group of Family Welfare Income Improvement Business (UPPKS), or other groups will be encouraged to form and fill Posdaya for all its members will increasingly independent, intelligent, healthy, and aware community togetherness and the environment. Coop will be encouraged to facilitate cooperative members to form Posdaya, so that human resource development can be stimulated and the cooperatives will enable to recruit qualified staff who are increasingly intelligent and dynamic effort to improve the economy and vice versa. Group UPPKS for example, will be developed as cooperatives while still maintaining efforts to improve the functions of a dynamic family.
Similar with the university Tri Dharma, the support of Damandiri Foundation will be focused on the coordination efforts, advocacy, synergy, initiation and gifts or moral incentives to stimulate the successful development programs. The support will be aimed to stimulate self-sufficiency for each family belonging to the group of Posdaya in each region. It is expected that each Posdaya group will be able to prevent the emergence of injustice, poverty or marginalization in all its forms. In addition, communities and families can live in a friendly and in a peaceful atmosphere and raise himself into a happy and prosperous family. (Wied).
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