KHN Promotes Women’s Empowerment Through Tree Bark Craft Workshop

Malinau, 19 July 2025 - A total of 15 women members of the Family Welfare Empowerment group (Pemberdayaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga / PKK) from Paking Village and Harapan Maju Village, Mentarang Subdistrict, have completed a tree bark craft workshop held by PT Kayan Hydropower Nusantara (KHN) through its Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility (CSER) programme, KHN Lestari.

Starting on 15 July 2025, the five-day workshop was organised to develop skills among women in villages surrounding the Mentarang Induk Hydroelectric Project (MIHEP) construction site. The programme was conducted in collaboration with the Industry and Trade Office (Disperindag) of Malinau Regency. It is hoped that the skills gained can become one of the sources of income managed by the village PKK groups. The workshop instructors were brought in from the Center for Crafts and Batik (Balai Besar Kerajinan dan Batik), Yogyakarta.

Before the conclusion of the workshop, a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was held with the participants, attended by Melani Indah Pujiastuti, Head of the Cooperatives and MSMEs Division at Disperindag; Nanding Dawat, Head of Paking Village; Frely, Chair of the Mentarang Subdistrict PKK Mobilization Team; and Mrs. Alicia Ng, Head of Community Relations at KHN. The FGD aimed to encourage participants to share feedback, experiences during the workshop, as well as hopes and suggestions for follow-up actions.

Since 2022, KHN has been collaborating with the PKK of Mentarang Subdistrict for two craft workshop programs: making bags and hats from recycled and plastic materials in Paking Village and Harapan Maju Village. This cooperation continued in 2023 with a batik-making workshop involving participants from six villages throughout Mentarang Subdistrict.

Through these skill development programs, KHN hopes to help enhance the potential and sustainable economic activities of women, especially in the two villages closest to MIHEP. These villages also host the residents of RT 5 Harapan Maju Village, who are part of the first resettlement phase for the MIHEP, originally from Seboyo.