Empowering Women through Social Enterprise
It’s been four years since the #LOCALSATURBANQUARTER project was established by Urban Quarter in 2016. As part of Urban Quarter’s vision, it is committed to working with local brands that supply heritage handcrafted goods by local artisans.
On it’s 5th Anniversary, Du Anyam a social enterprise focused on the empowerment of women weavers in Indonesia through the production and sale of wicker products, celebrated with 540 women weavers, at a community event entitled “Weaving Together” on Solor island, East Flores, November 30th. 2019. This event was conducted to celebrate and rekindle the spirit of weaving while preserving our cultural heritage.
As a society that truly embraces their cultural heritages and traditions, people in East Flores considered marriage as a prominent local wisdom that has lasted for generations. They believe that marriage takes a special position in their cultural treasure, hence, a couple who wishes to get married must go through certain mandatory stages before their marriage is called official. Such stages include the first meeting of the couple’s family, the introduction ceremony, and before they step into the wedding celebration, they have to undergo the dowries-giving ritual first.
We are very proud to release our new weaving collection all the way from Papua, and we want to tell you its story. From Sima, Masipawa, Hariti, to Teluk Umar, we have learned so much about what weaving tradition means to the people in Papua.
Expanding our reach to more villages and collaborating with more wonderful weavers has become one of the top priorities in our Wishlist. We are thankful that fate has brought us to this beautiful island called Lembata, one of the islands located in the middle of East Flores District and Alor Islands. The landscape is mesmerizing and the tradition is also profoundly rich.
We have worked with so many amazing women, but one of the most exemplary figures, both as a team member and as a mother, is Angela Lolon Koten. Angela is our Field Facilitator in Solor Island, East Flores, and has been proven to have such a strong work ethic as she always finishes her reports very orderly and always submits them on time.