Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, supports and donations continue to emerge through collaborations, partnerships, and collective funding when it comes to SMEs or UMKM in Indonesian. This has been shown by a number of support campaigns that focus mainly on keeping the sustainability of the micro and small businesses around Indonesia. From Gojek’s #MelajuBersamaGojek to national movement #BanggaBuatanIndonesia, supported by all the major startups such as Tokopedia, Lazada, Bukalapak, and many others. All these movements have a similar goal: to provide access and support the sustainability SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
#JagaUMKM is one of them.
Back in July, part of the collective movement that initially started by the employees of Qasir –a technology startup offering Point of Sale solutions– #JagaUMKM website was launched. The goal was simple: to provide a website listing for all UMKM in Indonesia (you can select by province and city), so it’s easier for customers to buy products and services around his/her area. It currently has more than 2500 UMKMs listed on the site.
Just recently, #JagaUMKM collaborates with Wecare.id and Love In The Streets (LITS) in an ongoing campaign called Donasi Sambil Jaga UMKM. The campaign aims to collect donations from donors all over Indonesia to help support a curated list of small businesses from #JagaUMKM by purchasing their food and drinks which will then be distributed to people who need it the most in Jabodetabek area. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone.
Through this campaign, you, as the donor, can help and donate by ordering a food/drink package from the list of #JagaUMKM small businesses from as little as of Rp.25.000 via the campaign link: wecare.id/jagaumkm. With just donating for the price of 1 cup of coffee, you have already made an impact!
In case you haven’t heard about Wecare.id, it is a platform that facilitates donations from the public for various campaigns; from helping patients who need to cover their hospital costs to supporting the environment and the community. Another partner, Love In The Streets, is a collective movement that focuses on social issues.
On Saturday, August 15th, the first batch distribution from Donasi Sambil Jaga UMKM campaign was distributed. LITS led the distribution of the food and drinks, accompanied by Qasir and Wecare.id teams. 300 package of food and healthy drinks ordered from 3 #JagaUMKM small businesses were distributed to 80 families of scavengers (pemulung) in Jurangmangu, South Tangerang area. One of the recipients of the donation, Pak Encang, mentioned that he is very grateful to receive food and healthy drink from this campaign, considering his income has dropped significantly due to pandemic. “As long as I can eat, I’m grateful, you can’t really pick and choose what to eat,” said Pak Encang.
Pak Nurkhomis, the owner of Warteg Satria (one of the #JagaUMKM small businesses) felt very grateful. This was the first time he ever gotten a big order again. He admits that his sales dropped by 70% due to schools and offices around his warung being closed during the pandemic.
“The campaign is meant to help both the small business and people who need the basic needs. For the small business, at least we can help getting them orders in a bigger amount, while on the other hand, food and drinks ordered will be distributed to those people who cannot even fulfill their daily needs of eating and drinking. This is the least we can do,” said Nafinia Putra, Qasir’s Head of Marketing.
“The first batch distribution was quite unexpected; it’s been amazing to see the amount of people’s response toward this initiative, proven by the amount of donations given. It also means that lots of people still care about their community, especially supporting the sustainability of small businesses and people in need around them,” added Gigih Septianto, Co-Founder and CEO from Wecare.id.
You can still support by giving small donations for Donasi Sambil Jaga UMKM too! Check out the page at www.wecare.id/jagaumkm.
Even if you can only donate 1 cup of coffee this month, you’ve helped make a big impact on those people who need it the most. Let’s support one another through this tough time, and together we can beat the pandemic.