Problem Shopping in East Jakarta: Minister of Social Affairs' Efforts to Improve Vulnerable Group Services

Jakarta (October 7, 2024) - Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf went problem shopping in Ciracas District, East Jakarta, to identify social problems in the location and hear the aspirations of the community on Monday (7/10/2024). This visit was also to directly review the implementation of various social programs targeting vulnerable groups such as the elderly and person with disability  living alone meal program, and the YAPI (Yatim/Piatu/Yatim Piatu) program.

The Minister of Social Affairs, who is familiarly called Gus Ipul, said that problem shopping was carried out so that social services could be improved. “Maybe there are things that need to be improved in the future, maybe we will expand the target,” he said.

From the results of problem shopping, Gus Ipul found that there were still many people who had not received assistance due to limited budget capacity. “Certainly, the expansion of the recipient group or beneficiaries is needed,” he said.

Apart from capacity, data is also a challenge in implementing social welfare programs. Community data managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs is dynamic data that requires regular updates. For this reason, Gus Ipul will strengthen cooperation with local governments and other institutions so that data updates can be carried out regularly and in a short time.

Capacity building of assistants was also a concern of Gus Ipul during his visit in Ciracas. Currently, the Ministry of Social Affairs has more than thousands of assistants throughout Indonesia who are the connectors of the Ministry of Social programs in the field. The complexity of social problems and changes in services at the Ministry of Social Centers throughout Indonesia is a challenge for assistants.

During his visit in Ciracas, Gus Ipul moved door to door on foot to the homes of the beneficiary children. Among the beneficiaries are Ajeng Pratiwi (13) recipient of the YAPI program, Nyai (87) recipient of the elderly living alone meal program, and Suhendra (64) recipient of the person with disability living alone meal program. In addition to regular assistance, the three of them also received empowerment assistance in the form of businesses given to their respective families.

Meanwhile, the total assistance from the Ministry of Social Affairs in DKI Jakarta in 2024 is worth Rp450.1 billion, consisting of the Family Hope Program (PKH) worth Rp234.7 billion, basic food Rp190 billion, elderly meal program Rp5.7 billion, disability meal program Rp8 billion, and YAPI assistance Rp13.4 billion.