Family Empowerment in the Rural Area

Empowerment was the giving or the digging of the potential which culminated in the autonomy or the giving of the strength, not forcing of the community. “This understanding needs to be delivered especially to the poor family whose knowledge is decreasing on the average. We should know the condition of community. Do not make us give something that causes the dependence with the giving. Like giving the Cash Direct Aid (BLT),” revealed Dr. Tien Herawati, the Teaching Staff of Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (IKK), Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor Agricultural University (FEMA IPB), when the Rural Broadcast of RRI discussing ‘Family Empowerment in the Rural Area of Indonesia’, Monday (05/3) at RRI studio Jl. Pangrango Bogor.

On one side of the giving of BLT the community felt their living responsibilities became less, on the other side this program did not teach the community to be autonomous. “For the reason, meanwhile, the BLT program is stopped, it is replaced with the program of Hope Family Program (PKH),” said Dr Tien firmly.
 
Based on the survey result of the Team of Department of IKK, there was a community that wanted to have their own business but constrained with the business capital which was decreased or the type of business. This made the giving of BLT to become not the exact target. “We should hand over how to make hook and line for fishing. Do not give the fish, which once eat completely, to the person who wants to fish. The core is that how we give the potential, so it becomes autonomy not dependence,” she added.

The reason why this program was given special to the community in the rural area, not the community in the urban area, since according to the survey at the moment the poverty level in the rural area increased. That was previously 63 percents now it became 65 percents. This was because the level of education which was still classified as low. “Therefore, realizing or motivating the community is to be soon raised by giving the illumination,” said Dr Tien.

The empowerment program should be stressed to the knowledge that pushed the community to increase the prosperity. “The empowerment which is given to the rural community throughout Indonesia is better to be stressed to the education not the giving of material. We should be optimistic and continuously believe that all the things are always there to be the solution. Provided that we keep on trying and make use of as well as possible what we have to do,” she explained to close her discussion. (Nda)