The Feminine Power in Bayat

Titian’s community development program in Bayat Klaten has been running for almost one semester now. The people of Bayat are now familiar with FGDs and presenting their ideas of how to make their village a better place to live in. Everybody is actively participating in thinking for the betterness of their village and they gathered to develop the Village Development Plan.

As a village of migrant workers, not many men are seen in the process of development planning meetings. Most men leave their families at home to work in Jogja or other cities. These women are left to raise their children and at the same time run a household. These multi tasking women, not so surprisingly are smart and eager to participate in the development of their village.

One interesting story can be found in one of the dukuh (hamlet) named Purwo, where women run significant roles in domestic affairs, community affairs, also government affairs in the village. In most of the FGD meetings these women outnumber the men and always come up with bright ideas to improve the village.

Their ideas of development are not only limited to their daily concerns like starting a study center for their school aged children but also a reading class for the illiterates villagers and a sewing class for them. Furthermore they suggest that there should be a learning center somewhere accessible for them to study about parenting and skill development. However, these women do not seem to be aware of their capacity to develop their village therefore Titian Foundation will keep empowering and facilitating this feminine power to realize their dream village.