A programme supporting women micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia concluded with a reporting session in Yogyakarta on 20 July 2024. Kopernik Japan and local partner Aisyiyah delivered the initiative under JICA’s grassroots technical cooperation framework.
Beginning in August 2021, the three-year project helped participants launch or improve businesses that could operate from home. It addressed difficulties including pandemic restrictions on face-to-face selling and the fees charged by intermediaries. Training covered finance, marketing, running online shops and public relations.
Individual counselling accompanied the group sessions. Participants also learned about using ChatGPT to develop promotional messages. According to JICA, the 24 women entrepreneurs involved recorded increases in online sales and profits, selling products ranging from food to fashion accessories. The release did not provide a quantified aggregate increase.
The project trained seven Aisyiyah facilitators so support could continue beyond its completion. Its design connected practical selling skills with local mentoring capacity, rather than relying solely on getting businesses onto a digital platform.