Crunchy Cookies Bring Blessings
In the scorching heat of the sun, the housewives from RW 6 in the Sidodadi sub-district gathered with one another. On that afternoon, they gather to bake an assortment of small desserts such as cookies and pastries. Despite having to fast during the holy month of Ramadan, these mothers remained excited and exuberant.
“Since it is the holy month (Ramadan), we bake these pastries so they can be sold. Hopefully, we will sell lots!” shared Alfu Laila, the head of Nusa Indah community group (KSM).
On May 12, 2017 mothers took part in an activity where they were taught and trained to bake cake for 6 days. The activity was held and facilitated by Mrs. Christiningsih from the Surabaya Hotel School (SHS). The training itself was derived from the demands of these mothers that were expressed during the coordination meeting between WVI and stakeholders at the district level.
Initially, the training was aimed to teach housewives to bake cakes such as donuts, pies, brownies, cupcakes and roll cakes. However, looking at the market, they started to make cookies, pastries and other types of desserts that can immediately be sold. On the first three days, the ladies learned how to bake various pastries and cookies such as corn flakes, zebra and traditional cookies called kuku macan. The next three days, they started to make pies, roll cakes and mayonnaise risoles.
The participant felt delighted and happy to have received the training despite having only 10 people who participated throughout the entire course. One of the participants, Alfu Laila, 46, felt that she garnered lots of knowledge through this training.
“I used to learn baking by myself through reading magazines or watching the television. As a result, unlike this training event, I realized several steps and recipes were still incomplete. I am motivated to have gotten the chance to learn from individuals who were experts in baking through this event,” stated the mother of Ainna.
After going through training, the mothers agreed to assemble a small collaborative business named KSM Nusa Indah. Using the staple products and ingredients leftover from the training and by all members, they began to bake cookies and pastries. The housewives managed to bake other types of desserts such as Kastengle, Nastar and Chocolate Chip despite only being taught 3 types of dessert during the program. Moreover, the mothers stayed in contact with Mrs. Christin, their trainer, to ask about more recipes and steps in baking.
The head of RW (neighborhood) 6 of the Sidodadi district, Mariyati, witnessed the baking process and expressed her delight regarding the establishment of KSM Nusa Indah. She shared her desire to see RW 6 become home to a small business ran by local mothers of children that were supported by WVI.
“Hearing from the other RW regarding collaborative business ran by mothers, I wanted that to see that happen here too. I hope that the KSM Nusa Indah will continue to develop to become a business that can support and facilitate the needs of its members. If these mothers can continue to get additional income for their families, the children’s needs could be fulfilled maximally,” explained Mariyati.
As all members of the KSM Nusa Indah predicted and hoped for, they were able to sell 26 jars 5 days leading up to the Lebaran (Moslem’s biggest celebration after Ramadan) on June 25, 2017 where they obtained a total of Rp. 1,300,000 from sales.
“It’s pretty good! While learning about entrepreneurship, I am also getting an income for needs during the Lebaran celebration that can also be used to buy new clothes for the children,” uttered Siti Fatimah, 37, as the secretary of KSM Nusa Indah.