Keywords

Empowerment, Housewives, Handicrafts, Waste, Covid-19

Introduction

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic that emerged in Indonesia in February 2020 is still spreading widely until now. This has an impact on various sectors of life, such as economy, social, education, culture, and others. The government has taken a number of policies to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including by limiting social interaction with the application of social distancing and physical distancing, reducing activities outside the home with an appeal to do activities at home or stay at home, work from home and Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) (Nuvriasari, 2020). The policy to stay at home creates a lot of additional expenses because there are not many activities to do at home. Almost everyone does activities at home (Hussain, 2020). This condition caused the general economy to be shaken and resulted in a decline in family income (Susilowati, 2017). Many activities were ignored before the Covid19 situation, but now are potentially beneficial. For example, housewives can improve their skills in making handicrafts from materials around the house (Tonbesi, 2020). Thus, women must be able to take advantage of nature, moreover take advantage of free time by training skills, including entrepreneurial skills training so that they can be empowered in facing life (Rochaya, 2011).

Many contemporary researchers reveal, in a low-income family, women are always the savior valve for the family economy. Women are considered as a lifesaver for the family economy due to the various roles that poor women play in the family (Marwanti, 2011), including: first, as the manager of family finances; second, as the person in charge of all domestic work; third, as family seekers; and fourth, as one of the critical social network nodes in terms of the social transfer, especially during critical times and crises (Basuki, 2007). There are three important reasons why women must be empowered in the context of poverty alleviation, namely: (1) because women have the same interest in development, and are also users of development results who have the same rights as men; (2) women also have special interests for women themselves and children, which are less than optimal if initiated by men because they require special sensitivity, related to existing daily, socio-cultural conditions; and (3) empowering and involving women in development, indirectly empowering and transmitting a positive spirit to the next generation, who are generally closely related to the figure of a mother in everyday life (Ratnawati, 2011).

The methods applied during empowerment are 1. Dispelling the myth that says women are only a complement in the household. 2. Provide a variety of skills for women so that they can be productive and do not depend on men for their fate. 3. Provide the broadest possible opportunity for women to take education and apply their education in empowerment (Yafiz, 2015). That is why the skills in making beverage basket products and wall hangings, especially for housewives, become business opportunities (Hussain, 2021). Through this activity, housewives who are members of the PKK (Family Welfare Empowerment) program in Sumber Kidul Hamlet get knowledge and increase creativity in the use of household waste to turn household waste into useful items again, even have a selling value and can be created into goods that have aesthetic value. With the training program for the use of household waste into drink baskets and wall decorations, it is hoped that it can increase awareness of the environment, besides that residents can have skills in terms of creativity and can improve the welfare of their citizens in this Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, it can also increase the income of the family's economy, which becomes a business opportunity. Moreover, a housewife who does not have a job only expects her husband's income, and this activity can increase the husband's income.

Problems

How is the economic empowerment of the community in the PKK women's group through training on economic value handicraft skills based on household waste during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Research Method

The methods applied to solve partner problems were (1) training in creative skills and innovation in making drink baskets and wall hangings from household waste, (2) providing assistance and practice of making drink baskets and wall hangings from household waste. Data collections in this service activity were through (1) observation, (2) training, and (3) questionnaire.

Discussions

Preparations Stage

Prior to the implementation of this training and activity assistance, a committee team was formed to prepare for the event. On Saturday, June 30, 2020, a meeting was held in the meeting room of the Study Center of the Faculty of Law, University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY). The meeting was attended by 3 (three) team members while still using the Covid-19 protocol. The meeting discussed the division of tasks among team members and matters that had to be prepared for the implementation of activities planned for August. Regarding the implementation date, partners have not agreed upon it, given the current pandemic situation, which calls for social distancing. Partners will be willing to hold this event in mid-August (Figure 1).

Implementers of activities in this preparation stage prepared a pre-test and post-test before the resource person guided the training event. The pre-test consisted of several questions and had to be answered immediately by the participants regarding the making of handicrafts in the form of mineral water and wall decorations. This pre-test was to determine the participant's initial abilities as a guide in preparing the level of material being taught as well as data in measuring the progress achieved by participants regarding the understanding of the making of handicrafts in the form of mineral water baskets and wall hangings. Similar to the pre-test, the post-test also consisted of several questions regarding the making of handicrafts in the form of mineral water baskets and wall hangings. This post-test was to determine the level of success in carrying out the activity, whether it was successful, stagnant, or even failed.

Implementation Stage

The program implementation stage was in the form of training and assistance in making handicrafts as follows:

a. Training

To achieve success at the program implementation stage, a training program and assistance for making handicrafts were carried out on Saturday, August 15, 2020, and Sunday, August 16, 2020, at the residence of Ibu Dukuh Dusun Sumber Kidul. Regarding the implementation schedule, it is the partner's own request, given the COVID situation. The training will last two days, namely Saturday (first day) and Sunday (second day), starting from 13.00 to 17.00 WIB. The first and second days will start at 13.00 to 15.00 WIB with training and assistance in making mineral water baskets. From 15.00 to 15.15 WIB, rest then resumed at 15.15 to 17.00 WIB training, and assistance in making wall decoration crafts was held. The training time also applies to Sundays, August 16, 2020. The training and mentoring were attended by 34 participants who will be guided by resource persons, namely one of the managers of the Gemah Ripah waste bank named Mrs. Lastri and Mrs. Siwi Utami, together with the service team.

The participants of this training were 34 PKK members from Dusun Sumber Kidul Village PKK mothers. This program aims to provide knowledge about making handicrafts from household waste to the PKK Dusun Sumber Kidul Mother Group. The method used by the trainer in delivering the material is by using training and mentoring methods. Training programs in community service are developed using a more straightforward method by holding workshops and informal/casual discussions so that the community does not become too burdened in receiving training materials. The training method with informal discussions aims to encourage more intense participant participation and attention.

This training lasts for two days, where per day lasts for 4 hours. Before making handicrafts begins, the organizer of the activity conducts a pre-test before the resource person delivers the material. The pre-test consists of several questions that are put in the form and must be answered immediately by the participants regarding the making of mineral water basket crafts and wall decorations. This pre-test is needed to determine the participant's initial abilities as a guide in preparing handicraft making as well as data in measuring the progress achieved by participants regarding the understanding of making mineral water basket and wall decoration. There are two pre-tests and two post-tests consisting of the same five questions regarding the mineral water basket and wall decoration.

Before the training starts, the trainer explains how to make handicrafts first. PKK group members are very enthusiastic and skilled in making handicrafts. PKK group members made baskets of mineral water and made lovely wall hangings. The Implementation Team also participates in the process of making handicrafts with PKK group members so that the program can run well and smoothly. as shows in Figure 2, 3, 4, 5 .

Apart from holding training, the team also socialized this activity through newspapers and social media so that the public would know about the continuity of this activity and, at the same time, improve the existence of the PKK Group in Sumber Kidul Hamlet, which produces household waste-based handicrafts. The target in this training is for participants to know and make handicrafts with economic value based on household waste in the form of mineral water baskets and wall hangings so that they are of economic value for the PKK women's group in Sumber Kidul Hamlet, Kalitirto Village, Berbah District, Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Region (Hussain, 2021).

After this training ended, the executor distributed the post-test to the training participants. Similar to the pre-test, the post-test consisted of several questions and had to be answered immediately by the participants regarding the understanding of making handicrafts in the form of mineral water baskets and wall hangings. This post-test is needed to determine the level of success in organizing the activity, whether it is successful, stagnant, or failed, as can be seen in the picture below: as shows in Figure 6.

Based on the results of the pre-test and post-test from 34 participants (as shown in the diagram above) in making mineral water baskets, participants can understand, master the making of handicrafts in the form of mineral water baskets and wall hangings (Hussain, 2020). The results of the pre-test and post-test obtained an increase in understanding of how to make handicrafts in the form of mineral water baskets amounting to 59% -73%, while the results of the pre-test and post-test, the understanding of how to make wall hangings obtained an increase of 61% -64% so that there was a significant increase.

b. Practical Assistance

Assistance in the practice of making handicrafts aims to ensure that training programs run smoothly and sustainably. The implementing team also conducts mentoring activities with regular monitoring and evaluation related to the making of handicrafts in the form of mineral water baskets and wall hangings. In this mentoring process, the team also provided solutions to obstacles faced by the community through intense communication. This assistance is carried out so that the program can be carried out well. The mentoring participants consisted of the Women's Group of PKK Dusun Sumber Kidul members.

In monitoring and evaluation efforts, the Implementing Team makes direct visits to partner locations and monitors them through intense communication media. Dissemination of activity information is also carried out by the Implementing Team by publishing its activities through internationally reputable scientific journals, mass media, social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube videos. The aim of this program is to empower the community of Partners, namely the PKK Dusun Sumber Kidul, Berbah Village group, to become independent hamlets that can increase creativity in processing household waste into various kinds of handicraft products and can produce goods that have economic value so that they can improve the economy of Sumber Kidul Hamlet community. Community empowerment is a process where the community is able to increase its understanding independently. In this process, the institution acts as a facilitator who accompanies the community empowerment process, which in principle is the community running the program, but community suggestions are the basis for the program. An important aspect of a community empowerment program is the programs and strategies that the community prepares it.

According to researchers, when the community is empowered through activities carried out by the PKK Dusun Sumber Kidul group, besides being able to spend time while implementing the government policy, stay at home is also at the same time helping the family economy or at least helping cash funds for the activities of PKK Sumber Kidul. This is in accordance with the theory stated by Friedmann that empowerment must start from the household. Household empowerment is the empowerment that includes social, political, and psychological aspects. What is meant by social empowerment is how weak households gain access to information, access to knowledge, and skills, access to participation in social organizations, and access to financial sources. Friedmann's approach is actually a family approach. Friedmann believes that every household has three kinds of strength, namely social strength, political power, and psychological strength. Friedmann's view then resulted in a formulation of empowerment as a process for weak communities to gain strength and access to resources.

Conclusions

The activities carried out by the PKK Dusun Sumber Kidul mother group, apart from being able to fill the time while implementing the stay at home government policy, are also at the same time helping the family economy or at least helping cash funds for the activities of PKK Dusun Sumber Kidul mothers. This is in accordance with the theory stated by Friedmann that empowerment must start from the household.

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