Women Who Save, Win

Kompas/Saiful Rijal Yunus

Casniati, 42, holds up her Koperasi Kasih Indonesia (KKI) savings book in front of her grocery shop in the area of West Kalibaru, Cilincing, North Jakarta, Friday (9/6). The single mother of two is one KKI member who has benefited from the cooperative’s savings and loans scheme, although she had never made a regular habit to save money before. Thousands of other KKI members are learning how to set aside money, even if it is only Rp 1,000 a week.

“Save your money, and your needs will be fulfilled.” For thousands of women living in the north of Jakarta, this principle is highly meaningful. Though they might live in poverty, they can still set aside part of their regular income for savings. From a minimum of Rp 1,000 per person, the total value of their savings is surprising: It reaches billions of rupiah.

Setting aside money regularly is not an option for many people. With rising needs and wants, not to mention continually increasing prices, people are often discouraged from saving their money.Saving money can thus be the final option after all needs have been fulfilled. However, how much can be saved if the income is a mere average of Rp 20,000 a day?