The majority of people in Indonesia earn a living through small-scale and household enterprises. However, many of these enterprises manage to keep families only just above the poverty line. Micro-enterprises face difficulties in expanding and can be hard-hit by changes in markets and the overall economy. The effect of disasters on such enterprises and the people they support can be devastating.
In a disaster-prone country like Indonesia effective micro-enterprises are crucial to building resilience and reducing the underlying risk factors that many low-income households face.
For people with disability the potential of enterprise is further constrained. Mobility barriers can prevent access to new markets and social stigma can prevent establishing effective business networks and support.
ASB, in partnership with Aktion-Deutschland-Hilft (ADH), is providing business development support to 30 enterprises run by people with disability in Klaten district, Central Java. Klaten was hard-hit by the 2006 Yogyakarta and Central Java earthquake and also the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi.
The project is supporting enterprises run by members of the local disabled people’s organisation (Persatuan Penyandang Cacat Klaten- PPCK) and provides follow-up assistance to previous government production support for PPCK members.
Support is being provided in business development; licensing and formalisation; simple book keeping; product development and, importantly, marketing strategies and improving market access.
Alongside linkages with programming raising awareness on practical disaster risk reduction, the project seeks to build the resilience of those individuals at most risk in Klaten.
