BANTUL (September 8, 2022) - Social Welfare Education and Training Center (BBPPKS) Jogjakarta carried out community empowerment training activities through social entrepreneurship, in the form of processed foods made from melinjo (Gnetum Gnemon) and arrowroot. The training will be held from 6 to 8 September 2022 at the house of the Triharjo Village Head, Kapanewon, Pandak, Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region. Food preparations from melinjo and arrowroot were chosen because many people in Pandak worked  to process them.

 

The training participants were taught to make arrowroot brownies, cookies, melinjo, arrowroot egg rolls, and green melinjo chips. Green emping (melinjo chips) was a type of processed emping made by adding suji leaves and Gotu kola. Suji leaves to give a green color so that it was different from the usual emping. Gotu kola leaves were used to neutralize purine so that melinjo chips were no longer scary as a cause of gout if you consume them.

 

The training was carried out as a follow-up to the response to cases carried out by BBPPKS Yogyakarta and Prof. Dr. Soeharso Center Solo to Mrs. Suparmi (45 years) a person with a physical disability. When it went viral, Mrs. Suparmi, a melinjo pounder, needed a wheelchair.

 

According to the Head of BBPPKS Yogyakarta, Eva Rahmi Kasim, BBPPKS Yogyakarta carries out community empowerment activities aimed at improving the standard of living for social welfare service recipients. The provision of skills in processing melinjo and arrowroot was expected to be an alternative and increased the selling value of melinjo and arrowroot which ultimately increased family income.

 

A total of 30 training participants were residents included in the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) in the Triharjo Village, including Mrs. Suparmi as a person with a physical disability and two with hearing and speech disabilities.