From April to June 2025, the EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies program reached 400 women-led ultra-micro enterprises across West and East Nusa Tenggara. Implemented by KUMPUL Impact in partnership with UN Women and UNEP, the initiative focused on equipping women entrepreneurs with the tools and confidence to respond to climate and market challenges.

The program delivered sixteen participatory sessions supported by 21 trained local mentors. Each training was designed to fit women’s daily schedules and caregiving responsibilities, allowing full and dignified participation. Activities were structured around:

• Hands-on practice, combining local wisdom with new technology.
• Peer learning, encouraging women to exchange experiences and support one another.
• Inclusive access, providing child-friendly spaces and flexible learning hours.

By the end of the sessions, participants described the training as a space not only to learn but to build trust, confidence, and shared leadership within their communities.

Translating Training into Practice

The curriculum was co-developed by KUMPUL Impact with Yayasan Rumah Energi, Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Nusa Cendana, and the SRI Institute. It combined three essential components:

• Climate-smart technologies (CST) to reduce climate risks in agriculture and processing.
• Gender and leadership development to strengthen women’s agency.
• Financial literacy to improve access to and management of capital.

Concrete applications emerged in each province:

• Lombok: Chili farmers learned to operate solar dryers that protect produce from rain and contamination.
• Sumbawa: Pineapple processors explored fiber extraction from leaf waste for sustainable crafts.
• Kupang: Seaweed producers adopted semi-closed dryers to maintain quality and hygiene.
• Moringa clusters: Women improved post-harvest processing and explored new product ideas.

Financial education became a cornerstone of the training. Many participants began to:

• Record income and expenses regularly.
• Plan household and business budgets.
• Discuss savings goals and simple investment steps.

These practices helped women understand their financial capacity and plan gradual technology adoption without excessive debt.

Sustaining Momentum through Collaboration

Throughout the implementation, KUMPUL Impact worked with ecosystem partners to ensure continuity beyond the program cycle.
Key partners and their roles included:

• Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM): Provided access to financing and explored flexible repayment models tailored to seasonal income patterns.
• Local NGOs (Gema Alam, ASPPUK, Trinity Academy): Continued mentoring activities and maintained participant engagement.
• Aggregators (Pinalo, Timor Moringa): Linked participants to stable buyers and guided product quality improvement.

By the end of the program:

• Over 50% of chili and seaweed participants expressed readiness to adopt the introduced technologies.
• Women reported stronger climate awareness and financial confidence.
• Peer learning groups continued to meet informally for business planning and problem-solving.

Through these collaborations, KUMPUL Impact demonstrated how inclusive capacity building can connect knowledge, technology, and finance at the community level. The program affirmed that when women receive consistent mentorship and access to the right tools, they become active agents of local resilience and sustainable enterprise.

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