Launched in December 2022, PENA Has Graduated 1,800 PKH Beneficiaries

MALANG (APRIL 16, 2023) - The Ministry of Social Affairs continues to increase the independence of social assistance recipients. Through the Nusantara Economic Heroes (PENA) Program, social assistance recipients are directed to accelerate their welfare through economic business assistance.

To ensure that the PENA program has an impact, Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini attended the PENA Roadshow activity at the Pendopo and Bululawang District Office yard, Malang Regency, Saturday (15/04). PENA runs effectively from December 2022.

The Minister stated that PENA targets Beneficiary Families (KPM) of the Family Hope Program (PKH) who are productive (20-45 years old). With PENA, KPM has an independent business so it does not continue to depend on social assistance. KPM PKH as the target of PENA is also based on the consideration that their data is valid.

"As of today (Saturday), there are 1,876 PENA recipients who have left PKH out of 5,209 who received assistance throughout Indonesia. They chose to stop receiving social assistance voluntarily. However, we will continue to monitor them as long as they are independent businesses," said the Minister.

In this roadshow, a bazaar was also held involving 70 PENA beneficiaries from the Greater Malang area (Malang City, Malang Regency, and Batu City). In addition to the bazaar, workshops/training and information dissemination on the PENA Program were also held.

From direct observation at the roadshow location, the Minister received information that some participants reported that their business profits reached 30%. For food and beverage businesses, profits can reach 50%-60%. "Yes, the branding must be managed. With a profit of 30%, it can still be processed (increased). You can do this by improving the quality of taste, branding, and packaging," she said.

The Minister reminded that if traders want to set high prices, of course, buyers also need the certainty of taste, health certainty, security certainty, and beautiful packaging.

PENA targets 8,500 recipients throughout Indonesia with a business capital assistance index of Rp6 million per person. There are five business clusters in PENA, namely food/beverages, handicrafts, services, agriculture, and livestock.

In addition to attending roadshow activities, the Minister of Social Affairs will also motivate PENA Program beneficiaries and hand over YAPI assistance to 17 orphans /orphans of victims of the Kanjuruhan tragedy collected through kitabisa.com and Astra Insurance donations, where the assistance is sent into the accounts of each beneficiary through Permata Bank education savings.

The PENA program adopts the success of the social empowerment program carried out by Minister of Social Affairs Risma when she was the Mayor of Surabaya. The purpose of this activity is to provide supervision and strengthening to entrepreneurial actors in the PENA program, help PENA Program beneficiaries promote and market their products to a wider audience, give appreciation to PENA Program beneficiaries who are ready to graduate (exit from the PENA program), and provide assistance to PENA Program beneficiaries who are ready to graduate.

Public Relation Bureau

Ministry of Social Affairs