Women20 (W20) held the third meeting in Manokwari, West Papua on Thursday (8/6) and Friday (8/6). This meeting raised the themes of rural women, women with disabilities, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
 
Samdhana, as part of a development partner in West Papua, is committed to supporting the event.
 
In collaboration with Balitbangda West Papua and Inspirational Young Papua (PMI), Samdhana facilitated the presence of four participants who were part of the MSME group and village women activists in Sorong and Raja Ampat. Samdhana also facilitateding an exhibition booth for Papuan women's products at W20.
 
The four participants included Febri Wally and Mama Meriyones Fami from Noken Art Center Village, Sorong Regency; Yuning Fonataba from the Yufon Raja Ampat Gallery, Waisai Raja Ampat; and Frorida Reba from the Papua Design Gallery, Sorong City.
 
On this occasion, the four participants also participated in a series of W-20 events, such as discussions and field visits.
 
Besides presenting female figures of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in West Papua, Samdhana also held a talk show with the theme of "Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights of Papuan Women as Pillars of the Family Economy".
 
The results of this discussion highlights that women have big role in family economy. The initiatives carried out by the Papuan community and women have made a significant contribution to the income and economic resilience of the family.
 
This is evidenced by the existence of studios and socio-cultural movements that become a forum for channeling the spirit, stories, and hopes of Papuan women, with various dynamics of social issues in them.
 
For example, the Yufon Raja Ampat Studio. This is a place for learning and connecting the coastal communities of Raja Ampat with young women with an unintended pregnancy. Then, there is Noken Village Studio in Sorong which has become a home for Moi’s women, especially widows and victims of domestic violence, in order to strengthen the family's economic resilience.
 
Currently, these studios operate with different business models and tend to market their products in their respective homes. BI (Bank Indonesia), together with the West Papua Dekranasda, is interested in establishing cooperation and networking for the development of MSMEs based on traditional products. Business incubation will be an important part of it. This is certainly an opportunity for groups of women who belong to are small and medium enterprises to get support, "said Yunus Yumte, Samdhana Program Officer in West Papua.
 
It didn't stop there. Samdhana's support in W20 activities was also given to Yonnece Demetouw from the Menoken (Nokener) Domberai community. She is the facilitator who mobilized community products to be displayed in the exhibition on 9th– 12th June 2022.
 
At this event, the booth of the Menoken (Nokener) community was visited by the Acting Governor of West Papua, Komjen Pol (Ret.) Paul Waterpauw. He also discussed it directly with Yonece Demetouw.

This article was uploaded on Samdhana blog: "Partisipasi Perempuan Papua dalam W20 di Manokwari"