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Our Craftmakers:
Wayan and her husband, Tarma quit their job as hotel housekeepers in 2003 as a result of the dramatic decline of tourists after the first Bali bomb attack. They relocated to the remote region of Bangli and started a short-lived cattle farm, using their life’s savings to purchase half a dozen cattles. The business ended when the money earned was not enough to feed the family. They tried other business ventures, too: renting out PlayStation consoles, running a “2 Dollar” shop, even making silver jewellery and weaving bamboo baskets. Like many, they came across a few dishonest buying agents and lost money. In 2006, she received technical training from a well-established buying agent and attended several of workshops on making paper journals and photo albums. In the same year, she received a bank loan of six million rupiahs to use as capital for a stationery production business. Wayan hopes that more organisations can act as a bridge between her products and the overseas market, increase the number of purchase orders and help expand her business. She wish to save most of the profits for sending her two young children to school until they are able to graduate from university.
Silver jewellery craftswoman, Made Sudani lives in the back streets of Singapadu in the Gianyar Regency of Bali with her husband, a silversmith by trade, and their three-month-old daughter. Due to fierce competition from commercial jewellery manufacturers, many rural home-based operations like this struggle to remain in business. During times when there are no orders from buyers, Made and her husband must do contract work for larger jewellery producers to put bread on the table. Made’s dream is to expand her jewellery business and remain working from home so that she can spend more time with her daughter. The jewellery is handcrafted and designed based on Made’s creativity and her husband’s technical skills. Bali Artisans provides them with trend reports, product pricing information, management training, as well as assistance in accessing new markets.
Three years ago, Agus was under the impression that he was a step closer to having a successful business- he received a large order from an Australian buyer for a shipment of homeware boxes. Once the products were made, Agus was given a cheque for 25 million rupiahs (approximately US$2,600) from a local cargo company who acted as an intermediary for the buyer. The cheque turned out to be fraudulent but Agus could not afford to take legal action. Unfortunately, what happened to Agus is quite common in the craft business but small producers, like him, continue to take the chance. Agus did not let the incident bring him down and so he started from scratch again and continued to work. Tragically, he suffered another shock when the local market in which his homeware retail shop was located was burned to the ground in May this year. With no insurance, he lost everything and became heavily in debt. As a Wahana Kria Putri Foundation's micro finance client, Agus received loans to re-establish his business and was also given comprehensive training in business management and product development, which helped him improve his products. Today, Agus runs his business at home: a two-storey shed in the slum areas of Denpasar. The upper floor is used as a “factory” to make his products. Some day, Agus would like to move the factory out of his home and open a retail store again. He would also like buy a computer for the business. Agus is determined to take himself out of poverty and establish a secure future for his young family.
Cahaya Putri is a newly formed women’s sewing group, located in Git Git village on the northern end of the island. The group consists of eight women, some of them uneducated and some widowed. They have recently completed their first order producing children’s uniforms for a maching band. With only two manual sewing machines, the rest of the group sews the uniforms together by hand. Many of them have no experience in sewing but through WKP’s skills training and group support, they are given the chance to learn and practice. The sewing group have received a second order to make embroidered nursery bags for a New Zealand customer. The money they earn are usually kept aside for their children’s education. Prior to the formation of the sewing group, the women were alone and worked in a number of low-paying temporary jobs- collecting reccyled plastic, babysitting, street vendoring and such. The group allow these women to work together in a safe environment and continue to develop a sustainable business. One of the main benefits of being involved is receiving regular income and a chance to interact socially with other women in the village. Their immediate goal is to raise enough money to buy more sewing machines and receive more orders.
Located at the end of a small lane in Singaraja, north of Bali, is a Church-funded orphanage for local Balinese children whose parents either abandoned them or are too poor to look after them. One of the most unique aspect about the Widya Asih III orphanage is that it aims to be self-sufficient- from growing its own food in the vegetable garden and animal pen to running workshops in making musical instruments for retail. Of particular interest to Bali Artisans is their batik design workshop. Some of the older children have been given brief training in batik by the orphanage’s reverend. The motifs and patterns are inspired by the natural environment and the Balinese agricultural lifestyle. Their cloths are created by handpainting hot wax to the fabric before dyeing and repeating the process several of times to get the desired result. Sometimes, a traditional wooden stamp block is used for intricate repeat patterns. There is a storage room where all the dye powders are kept and a wide concrete fire stove to hold large metal pots for boiling the wax away. Modern equipment and electrical machineries are non-existent here. The batik group is currently building an onsite retail shop where people can purchase the finished products immediately. The children love doing batik as it gives them a creative outlet and room for imagination. Their cloths will be transferred to the Cahaya Putri sewing group where it will be turned into consumer products such as homeware, clothing and accessories. IBU MONIKA In 1990, Ibu Monika and her family left Java in pursuit of a more prosperous life in Bali. However, it became more difficult than they had imagined as it took Ibu Monika a very long time to find a job. She found work in a garment factory where she sewed beads onto garments. The paycheck brought a little relief but it was not what she had anticipated. She tried to improve things by starting a button production business. Though business starting up her own factory for button production. Although it was her own business, Ibu Monika did not feel that it would satisfy her need for a more comfortable lifestyle. Business was slow, she became constantly anxious and so she ceased business. Later, a friend invited her to join him in the lamp-making trade. She developed a natural talent for creating original and unique lamps and in 1999, she felt confident enough to start her own business again. Ibu Monika generated capital by selling her car and any valuable personal belongings she had to establish a small retail store in Denpasar. Business began to flourish and her designs were being noticed. In 2003, she rented land space to build a factory and living area for her family. Ibu Monika had a steady number of buyers and two agents to help her find potential buyers. However, problems began to arise when she found out that her agents have been taking a large percentage of the deposit money- she receives only 10% of each deposit paid by customers, leaving the rest in the pockets of her agents. Other problems she faced included a group of buyers from Italy who refused to pay her a reasonable price for the goods. The lack of a profitable income caused her to close the store. With only the factory left, she had no choice but to rely on the cunning agents to find new buyers. She turned to the Wahana Kria Putri Foundation for assistance and have had her products on exhibit around Bali. Ibu Monika hopes to establish a business relationship with France and Australia, expand the business and generate enough profit to give her freedom. She would also like to gain enough capital to purchase raw materials in cash instead of credit, which costs her 50% more in interest charges. With enough money, she plans to open another retail store in Ubud, find buyers on her own abilities and be completely self-reliant. |
