Supri Tri Wahyunita, or familiarly known as Mrs. Yuni (34 years old), is an alumna of the culinary training (baking class) organized by the Inspirasi Indonesia Membangun Foundation (YIIM) and PT. Insight Investments Management (INSIGHT) in 2020. This program is one of the community empowerment initiatives aimed at improving community welfare through training provided by YIIM and INSIGHT. This program is also aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Number 1, which is to end poverty.

Mrs. Yuni is a mother of two children, currently aged 9 and 5 years old. She and her family live in a 2 x 1 meter rented room in the Cempaka Putih area. Currently, Mrs. Yuni is busy with a rice box business and helping to clean boarding houses. Her husband works as an online motorcycle driver.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Mrs. Yuni sold bottled juice at her child’s school. While waiting for her child, she would sell juice to other mothers and students. Every day, she sold various 500 ml bottled juices with a stock of around 10, priced between Rp7,000 and Rp9,000. Her gross daily income was Rp100,000 – Rp150,000.

However, during the pandemic, Mrs. Yuni was forced to stop selling because her child had to study from home. She then looked for ways to earn additional income. Eventually, she started helping clean boarding houses, cooking when asked by others, and accepting rice box orders. Fortunately, at that time her husband still worked at a shop, so the family’s economy was still supported by him.

A few months later, her husband was laid off from his job. This misfortune forced him to look for work again. After two weeks of searching, he eventually started working as an online motorcycle driver. He even had to stay home for nearly 4 months due to an accident while driving his motorcycle.

Mrs. Yuni’s current business is a rice box and lontong (rice cake) business. With the assistance provided by YIIM and INSIGHT, she has been running this business for 2 years. The business started from her joining a neighbor in cooking. After learning how the sales worked, Mrs. Yuni decided to run this rice box business herself.

Mrs. Yuni sells by taking orders from friends and others. She promotes her products through WhatsApp groups and status updates. The income she earns from this business is sufficient for daily needs and helps support her husband with the family’s finances. During her business operations, Mrs. Yuni faces challenges with transportation for delivering orders over long distances. However, she tries her best to ensure the food reaches her customers.

During the last fasting month, Mrs. Yuni received quite a number of orders, such as for breaking the fast (iftar) and Jumat Barokah (Friday charity meals). In a month, her gross income is around Rp500,000 to Rp1,000,000.

During Ramadan 2022, Mrs. Yuni was also involved in the Social Humanitarian and Religious Program organized by YIIM and INSIGHT for the provision of iftar packages. A total of 100 iftar packages were prepared by Mrs. Yuni to assist underprivileged communities, orphans, and informal workers.

Through the business she has built, she hopes to start a business together with her husband. They have planned to open a joint venture. Her husband said,

“We can’t keep going like this. If possible, let’s start a business. Even though we can’t do it now, we hope to build our own business in the future.”

Mrs. Yuni also shared her hopes for YIIM and INSIGHT,

“YIIM and INSIGHT have helped me a lot. I hope YIIM and INSIGHT continue to grow and advance. May they always provide plenty of inspiration from YIIM and INSIGHT to all of us.”

Salam Inspirasi!