Jakarta, Indonesia - IOM collaborated with Semut Nusantara and the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) to hold Training of Trainers (TOT) on Economic Empowerment Support and Capacity Development for Migrant Worker Households Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic throughout April and May 2022 in West Java, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara. This series of TOTs are activities under a partnership called PIJAR Indonesia (Pemberdayaan Ekonomi Pekerja Migran Indonesia – Economic Empowerment of Indonesian migrant workers and families).

To support returning migrant workers coping with the loss of livelihood due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PIJAR Indonesia aims toward a more sustainable and effective economic reintegration and empowerment efforts for Indonesian migrant workers and households through a series of capacity development and economic empowerment support.

The TOTs aim to further support existing government-run economic empowerment programmes and encourage better synergies and coordination for support and services across programmes, agencies, and ministries for current and future economic empowerment programming for Indonesian migrant workers and households.

"We are really glad that IOM’s held this training to encourage business development in the regions. I hope that there will be follow-up actions to strengthen the economy of migrant workers," said Didin Sakri Chaerun, a TOT training participant in Karawang.

The series of TOT were joined by a total of 113 participants (F:43, M:70) representatives from the Technical Unit of BP2MI, the Manpower Office, Community and Village Empowerment Office, Social Affairs Office, and the Regional Body for Planning and Development, as well as village officials and community leaders.

PIJAR Indonesia is supported through IOM's COVID-19 response and recovery program funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United States Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migrants (PRM).

For more information about the project, please contact Gita Agnestasia, IOM’s National Project Officer (Labour Mobility and Human Development) in Indonesia at gagnestasia@iom.int   

For media queries, please contact Ariani H. Soejoeti, IOM’s Media and Communications Officer in Indonesia at asoejoeti@iom.int/ 08122726308