Awakening Women’s Role in Papua
The Kire-Kire Syal Gwibin Gol Field School stands on a plot of 8 meters by 6 m and has five rooms. This school also serves as a literacy-training place for 40 local children.
Novilla Maria Aru
Novilla Maria Aru is a female icon who has resolutely pioneered an indigenous women’s empowerment movement in Sawesuma village, Unurumguay district, Jayapura regency, Papua, since early 2020. For Novilla, women should play a role as the pillar of development in their village.
Friday (15/7/2022) was an important moment for Novilla along with 59 other women affiliated with Ingger Wewal Indigenous Women’s Group in Sawesuma village. She became chairperson of the group. Ingger Wewal means “female bird of paradise”.
On that day the Kire-Kire Syal Gwibin Gol Field School for Ingger Wewal Indigenous Women’s Group was inaugurated by Jayapura Deputy Regent Giri Wijayantoro, who was flanked by Regional Secretary Hana Hikoyabi. The school is the first facility devoted specifically to empowerment in a remote part of Papua.
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The Kire-Kire Syal Gwibin Gol Field School stands on a plot of 8 meters by 6 m and has five rooms. This school also serves as a literacy-training place for 40 local children.
There is also a pilot garden covering an area of 100 meters by 50 m. In this place, Novilla and Ingger Wewal members teach children how to grow local food-commodity plants such as cassava and sweet potatoes.
Besides, Roby Digan as the communal-rights holder and husband of Novilla voluntarily granted the land for the construction of the facility.
The school dedication was cheerful. This field school was initiated by the WWF Indonesia Foundation for the Papua Program and the Office of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection of Jayapura regency. Besides, Roby Digan as the communal-rights holder and husband of Novilla voluntarily granted the land for the construction of the facility.
The implementation of field-school activity by the Ingger Wewal group is one of the five thematic programs of the Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA). The five are women’s empowerment, regional mapping, literacy, intellectual property rights and local-food diversification.
Novilla Maria Aru
The school meets the expectations of Novilla, who has consistently conducted advocacy on the role of women in Sawesuma village over the last five years. The mother of two has also become a representative of the Village Consultative Body (Bamuskam) since 2017.
Stigma elimination
Novilla and Roby began to reside in Sawesuma village in 2014. Previously, Novilla followed her husband as an Indonesian Military member who had been assigned to Nabire regency since 2011.
For several years in Sawesuma, Novilla observed that women’s time was more dominated by household chores like cooking, washing clothes and gardening. There was no opportunity for women to develop other capacities through training.
Novilla strove to make a change for women in Sawesuma. The chance appeared when she was entrusted with the role of Bamuskam representative for 2017-2022.
At several Sawesuma Village Development Planning Consultation (Musrenbang) meetings and events, Novilla actively engaged in voicing the necessity of providing skill training for women. In February 2020, the training activity for women finally commenced.
They make handicrafts like noken (knitted bags) and snacks from local foodstuffs.
From the beginning, the training for Ingger Wewal group members has been carried out in the house of Novilla. The activity lasts from 15:00 to 17:00 East Indonesia Time on Sundays. They make handicrafts like noken (knitted bags) and snacks from local foodstuffs.
Under the scorching sun and in the rain, Novilla goes door-to-door to invite Ingger Wewal members to join the training in her home. Besides Novilla, four other mentors train the women.
Novilla Maria Aru with her husband, Roby Digan.
“One of the biggest challenges in inviting them to join training is the minimal support of their husbands. I have several times given up involving members who have not yet obtained their husbands’ consent. This is meant to prevent my members from being admonished by their spouses,” said the 33-year-old woman.
Up for sale
They follow the training in the yard and on the terrace of Novilla’s house as well as in the kitchen.
The kitchen is where Ingger Wewal members prepare snacks and local food like crispy sago chips, cassava chips and banana chips. However, in their primary and secondary activities, the Ingger Wewal group knits noken and creates various handicrafts from tree strands such as woven plates, flower pots and earrings.
At present, the products of the Ingger Wewal group are up for sale so that the women can enjoy their economic benefit. The WWF Indonesia Foundation for the Papua Program is one of the consumers purchasing the women’s products, such as noken and sago chips.
Ingger Wewal’s goods range in price from Rp 50,000 (US$3.35) to Rp 500,0000, while rattan plates cost Rp 200,000 per dozen and sago chips Rp 10,000 per pack.
This nature-tourism destination is around 2 kilometers from Sawesuma.
The housewives also offer Ingger Wewal products to sightseers visiting the ecotourism location for bird-of-paradise watching in Sawesuma. This nature-tourism destination is around 2 kilometers from Sawesuma.
There are two ecotourism lodging houses in Sawesuma. Visitors can watch a number of birds of paradise that are already famous in the location, including king bird of paradise, yellow-tail bird of paradise and 12-wired bird of paradise.
Apart from the efforts, Novilla has been in active coordination with the village administration of Sawesuma and regency administration of Jayapura for their support.
Residents rejoice in welcoming the inauguration of the Kire-Kire Syal Gwibin Gol Field School for the Ingger Wewal Indigenous Women's Group in Sawesuma Village, Jayapura Regency, Papua, on July 15, 2022.
Eventually, in 2022, an allocation for the women’s group activity was fixed at Rp 5 million. Besides, the Ingger Wewal group also received an aid fund from the Women’s Empowerment Office of Jayapura regency for capacity enhancement worth Rp 10 million.
“I hope the women in Sawesuma will have the courage to voice their opinion and be actively involved in their village development,” added Novilla.
Novilla Maria Aru
Born:10 May 1989
Husband:Roby Digan
Childred:
- Asalia S Digan
- Marcelo Y Digan
Education:YPPK Teruna Bakti Senior High School
Profession: Women’s empowerment activist and Chairperson of Ingger Wewal Indigenous Women’s Group
(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)
