Du’Anyam: Changing Lives, One Craft at a Time

By Cindy Karina Kustiari | 7 September 2018

           

Flores is considered one of the most beautiful islands in Indonesia, with the most astonishing landscape views. But behind all of its beauty, there are people who still live in disadvantaged conditions, as they were suffering quite greatly from maternal and child health issues. For Azalea Ayuningtyas, Yohanna Keraf, and Melia Winata, those unfortunate circumstances can be changed.

            By realizing that women in Flores are actually skillful in traditional wicker craftings, Ayu, Hanna, and Melia believed that it could be the answer to their socioeconomic problems. Traditional wicker crafts making has been done from generation to generation. So, in order to make this local culture recognizable, the only way is to pave its way through the national, even the international markets. In 2014, a social enterprise named Du’Anyam is established by those three innovative women, and it has been helping the lives of people in Flores ever since. This enterprise aims to process and distribute local wicker weavings, so it can provide the fair living wage for the women artisans themselves.

The women artisans in Flores weaving the wicker crafts while exchanging laughs. | Source: Instagram @duanyam

Du'Anyam's products won the Inacraft
Awards 2018 | Source: Instagram @duanyam

Since its establishment, Du’Anyam has passed through a journey toward an impressive progress. From household appliances such as baskets and kitchen trays, to stylish items such as bags, pouches, and wallets, Du’Anyam has been exceptionally productive. Several awards including Inacraft Awards 2018 were achieved by this amazing enterprise, and it is also involved in collaboration projects with well-known brands such as Impromptu and Cottonink. Being one of the official merchandises of Asian Games 2018, as the only vendor that promote Indonesian handmade products, is the team’s most recent breakthrough.

                                                       

Du'Anyam's collaboration project with Impromptu. | Source: Instagram @duanyam

            The three founders of Du’Anyam stated that, Du’Anyam is not merely helping the people in Flores to overcome their economic problems, but also to empower the women. The women that once were not allowed to do anything other than house maintenance, with Du’Anyam on their side, they now have the role in helping their husband side by side in easing the burdens of the family. In the hope of keep bringing goodness to rural areas people, the team members of Du’Anyam are determined to set their goals under these three pillars: women empowerment, local culture promotion, and health improvement.