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| The portrait of the mochi-making training program at Pandansari Village. (Photo: Istimewa) |
Students from the Department of Social Welfare at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) run the Perempuan Hebat Pandansari (PHP) program in Pandansari Village. They hooked socially and economically vulnerable women (Perempuan Rawan Sosial dan Ekonomi, or PRSE) and widows for one month since the beginning of March 2023.
One of the skills taught is how to make mochi cakes. There were dozens of participants from seven villages who actively participated. The team coordinator, Enggar Hikmatul, explained that most of the PRSE in Pandansari Village were women whose husbands had left them. Her team tries to provide skill training so these widows can be more independent by learning to make mochi.
"Mochi was chosen because it saw one of Pandansari Village's potentials: cow's milk and durian. Milk is the main ingredient in making mochi, so we thought that mochi would be very suitable to be developed here. Coupled with durian, which can be used as filling," she explained.
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Not only the process but also product branding was taught to the widows. Therefore, they can simultaneously find and develop the mochi market they are working on. According to Enggar, her team's efforts not only created jobs for widows but also encouraged the community to build its existing potential. If it goes well, this mochi-making business will be able to reach a vast market.
The village government welcomed this PHP activity. One of them is the Head of Pandansari Village, Bambang Riyanto. He was very appreciative and enthusiastic about the program. Moreover, there are very few programs that empower women to work.
"This is a creative activity. Apart from encouraging and spurring widows to continue working and supporting their families, this activity also allows them to gain new skills that they may not have thought of before," he added.
The man known as Bambang assessed that if this product could be developed and carried out continuously, he was sure that the wider community could recognize the mochi made by Pandansari Village. "Hopefully, by implementing this training, it can inspire innovation in the community. Especially young mothers and PRSE," he said.
Nanik, one of the participants, was also happy to be able to take an active part in the training on making mochi products. There is a lot of knowledge that she has, both about the process of making mochi and how to market it. She plans to study mochi development and open her own business. Therefore, she also helped create jobs for villagers.
"Actually, making mochi cakes is very easy and not complicated. The ingredients are also easy to get at the nearest shops," he concluded. (put/*/wil)
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