Seizing Power and Capturing the Dreams of the Island Communities in Eastern Indonesia

BangKIT is a program aiming at improving access to livelihood for people susceptible to poverty and food insecurity in eastern Indonesia. To achieve the livelihood improvement, this program develops a rural community livelihood improvement model as the outcome of the participatory community based planning mechanism in integration with the village planning system.

The program applies an inclusive approach, involving the entire community, for strengthening village economy and food system. BangKIT allocates its program activities for strengthening community and village administration capacities in planning and implementing livelihood improvement, strengthening district government capacity in supporting and facilitating livelihood improvement activities in villages, and developing a practical mechanism for village people and administration to plan sustainable livelihood improvement for the villagers.

BangKIT Program was initially implemented in 70 villages of two districts in eastern Indonesia, namely 30 villages in Seram Bagian Timur District, Maluku Province, and 40 villages in Sumba Barat Daya District, Nusa Tenggara Timur Province. In October 2024, additional 4 villages in Seram Bagian Timur District and 9 villages in Sumba Barat Daya District were replicating the program activities, therefore, by the mid of 2025, 83 villages had the program interventions in the two districts.

BangKIT Program Areas

05 SBT-GOROM-DESA TINARIN-Olahan Selai Pala-Adwit Pramono (26)

The Dream of Tinarin Women to Raise

Tinarin is a small village located in Gorom Timur Sub District, Seram Bagian Timur District, Maluku Province. It is located close to the sub-district office in Miran Village, only about one kilometer away. An exceptional woman, Liswati Rumodar,...

Embracing Equality from the Lambaleko Weaving Group

Dominggus Ditawora is a warm man. He resides in Waiholo Village, Sumba Barat Daya. Often, while telling stories, he smiles and laughs. The villagers call him a cold, blessed hand. There is a reason for this. Dominggus, who works as a farmer,...

Stretching Hope with Seaweed

The sea in Bondo Boghila, Kahona Village, stretches wide. On an afternoon in mid-May 2025, when the sea was receding, some seaweed farmers were seen walking along the shore, picking up the leftover seeds fallen from the cultivation ropes. In...

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Becoming a Sovereign Livestock Group

Petrus Malo Lede walked down the gravel path heading to his house in Pandua Tana village. Two goats were munching the grass in front of his yard. One was an adult female, the mother. The other was a young goat, the kid. Petrus was happy to see...

Beina Moripa Fosters Sumba Identity

In front of a stilt house in Pandua Tana, Southwest Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, stood a small square hall equipped with wooden seats made of planks. Right next to it is a diverged road leading to other villages. In the small hall, laying a cord...

Spirit of Togetherness from Buru Deilo Village

Buru Deilo is a small village located in the inland of the South Wewewa region, Southwest Sumba. It takes a 1-hour trip by car to get to this village from Tambolaka. The road is winding with broken asphalt and loose rocks. That afternoon, primary...

Creating a Living Kitchen in Mata Wee Lima

Some women are busy preparing a land in the yard of Agustinus Umbu Pati’s house in Mata Wee Lima Village, Southwest Sumba. Making small beds, loosening the soil, and then placing small water spinach seeds in the soil. Everyone is happy...

Restoring the Origin of Mata Kapore Village

Mata Kapore is a village with cool temperature in Southwest Sumba, surrounded by trees, clear rivers, and rice fields. On an afternoon in mid-May 2025, rain poured down the village. Oktavianus Umbu Halato Tana (41 years old) is the chief of...

Empowering People, Developing Village

Bernardus Bili (57) is the Village Chief of Kalaki Kambe, Southwest Sumba. He has led the village since 2021. The population is 3000 people, mostly farmers who plant corn, betel nuts, cassava, and cashew nuts. When Bernardus was elected, he...

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The Story of Ramli, a Traditional Fisherman from Nama Andan

Nama Andan is one of the small islands in Maluku Province, inhabited by a total of 98 households. Located in Waru Bay, about 8.5 kilometers from Tanjung Ilor, Seram Island. The island stretches for five kilometers and is surrounded by coral...

Kilotak Women and Local Food Innovation

Eight women were seen around a giant oven, 150 centimeters long and 50 centimeters wide. This oven covers two kerosene stoves that burn constantly. On top of it, white sago flour is stirred nonstop by hand for over two hours. They stood patiently,...

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Trash to Cash: Village Women and Plastic Waste

On a pathway in Buan Kataloka Village, Pulau Gorom Sub District, Seram Bagian Timur District, Maluku Province, three primary school kids were picking up some used plastic cups. They were happily picking up the waste and brought it to a woman. ...

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Cultivating Hope in A Rocky Soil

That morning, four women sat on a plank patio on the side of Rafia Rumatiga’s simple wooden house. The house is located in Negeri Pulau Panjang, Pulau Panjang Sub District, Seram Bagian Timur District, Maluku Province. They were not chilling...

Women, Sea, and Floss

In a kitchen, six women sat on a concrete floor covered with a mat. There were shallots, garlic, coriander seeds, peppers, cayenne peppers, limes, and thick coconut milk freshly grated from a ripe coconut. Smoke from a wood-burning stove swirled...

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Nutmeg, Fruit of Hope

“What would you do if you had plenty of nutmeg?” Four middle-aged women sat in a circle, on a mat in the shady yard of a house. In front of them, three large bowls, one of which contained water and the flesh of freshly peeled nutmeg. Intimate,...