Many rural women have no stable income and depend entirely on their husbands' low farm earnings, while others migrate abroad at high risk. INFEST works to change this by building a supportive ecosystem that helps women create small businesses rooted in local potential and market demand. Through training, mentoring, and a revolving loan fund, we empower 1,000 women in Ponorogo and Blitar to earn their own income and build stronger futures for their families.
According to the World Bank, 194.4 million Indonesians-approximately 68% of the population-are economically vulnerable, falling below the global poverty line of $8.3 per day. Rural women are the most affected, often relying on unstable farm income. Many migrate abroad seeking better livelihoods, yet face high risks of exploitation and trafficking. Limited skills and capital further trap them in long-term economic insecurity.
INFEST supports women's economic empowerment by building a cooperative that provides training, mentoring, and financial services. The cooperative offers economic education, tailored MSME capacity building, technical skills training, and access to a revolving fund for women-led businesses. It also strengthens product development and market access, enabling women to grow sustainable, locally rooted enterprises.
By 2050, this project aims to empower 5,000-10,000 women to establish resilient, independent businesses that increase household income, expand their leadership roles, and contribute to inclusive rural economies. These changes are expected to lift beneficiary families out of poverty. INFEST will evaluate progress through a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), a rigorous method for measuring the true impact after five years.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Excel file (projdoc.xls).
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