According to her office's statement cited here on Sunday, Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini noted that the PENA program had been providing its beneficiaries with business capital and activities aimed at guiding them to establish and develop businesses.
"Since their businesses and economic conditions have grown better, thousands of people have graduated from the program, meaning they are no longer recipients of social assistance," she stated.
Rismaharini highlighted that her side had declared as many as 3,415 beneficiary families as graduates in May 2024 alone. The total number of graduated beneficiary families in 2023 stood at 10,073, while that in 2024 reached 18,702.
"In total, as many as 28,775 beneficiary families have graduated during the period from 2023 to (May) 2024. This means that they have managed to break free from poverty and will no longer receive social aid," she remarked.
The total figure surpassed the initial target of 16,000 beneficiary families for the 2023-2024 period.
Despite having graduated, the minister continued, the families will continue to receive business assistance from the government to help them diversify their products and create more appealing packaging for the goods they sell.
Rismaharini further said that her ministry would continue to implement the PENA program, with a special focus on communities inhabiting small islands.
"The Social Affairs Ministry will focus more on the community level by targeting people residing on islands," she stated.
Under the PENA program, she added, the ministry has been striving to empower wives of fishermen by guiding them to process their husbands' catches into products of higher added value, such as dried fish and fish floss.
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Translator: Hana D, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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