Kuta Local Market

Mele Pacu Group the day we started the Savings and loans group

The Kuta Pakan Group was formed in early november with a total of 31 women, who decided do name themselves MELE PACU, “I want the truth” in the Sasak local language.

This is one of the most homogeneous groups of all of which we are currently working with, as the majority of the women earn a little income selling fish in the local market. The market in Kuta takes place every day at a very small scale (mainly for people living in Kuta area), and Sundays and Wednesdays on a larger scale, receiving people from all around southern Lombok.  The competition is fierce so these women are also the most assertive of all and are very likely to speak up.

One of the main interests that the women have shown during the group meetings is the need to improve the health and sanitary conditions of the market: it gets extremely muddy in the rainy season, making the working conditions unhealthy, and the waste is just dumped in the middle of the market left there for the chickens and goats to feed from it.

Those women married to fishermen get the fish directly from them, while the rest buy it from local fishermen every day. Some of the women sell raw fish, while others will grill or smoke the fish, following the traditional ways. We can guarantee that the fish is fresh when bought from the women and if you get them not to overcook it the grilled tuna and mahi-mahi are delicious!

Ina Denta selling fried sardines, "Ikan Goreng"

Ina Wiwik grilling tuna

To date, the Mele Pacu women have already saved approx. 300US$, having loaned a total of approx. 525US$ in 14 loans, most of them with the objective of investing in their small fish selling businesses.

One more group has joined!

We are very happy to post that yesterday we finished the 3 days workshop we normally have when start a new KAF savings and loans group. During 3 days we go through different group dynamics and train the women on the savings and loans methodology, how to calculate interest rates, how to organize themselves in order to enable decision making and conflict solving among the group.

Hari Internasional Wanita

Yesterday March 8th we celebrated International Women’s Day. All the women from the 3 established savings and loans groups met at Pantai Sene (Sene Beach in Kuta) for the first gathering since Bersahara started in September 2011.

The idea was to celebrate that Bersahara has become a reality and that we are all happy to be women. 

Women in the East and the West

In some Western countries women change their names when they get married, losing their family name and taking over their husband's surname, somehow acquiring a whole new identity.

Ina Lisa

In Indonesia the change happens when you have babies. So, after your first born, your name will change to "mother of ...." your first born's name. So a women named Putri (princess) who has a first born girl named Lisa, will now be Ina Lisa. 

Funny how women are expected by societies to change their identities and become "wives" or "mothers" ahead of "women".