Being a student has not been an obstacle for Khofifah, 15, in earning money to support her education.

She has committed herself to selling jellies so that she can pay her own tuition fees, amounting to Rp 300,000 (US$23) per month, to ease her parents’ burden.

The student of vocational school Muhammadiyah 1 in Central Jakarta told The Jakarta Post recently that she earns a profit of at least Rp 10,000 per day by selling jellies at a food stall.

“I make jellies every morning before going to school, and then I put them on a food stall that is owned by my friend’s family to be sold,” Khofifah said on Monday, adding that the activities have not disturbed her studies at all as her friend’s family helps her to sell the jellies.

Khofifah also said she needed less than Rp 50,000 to gain the profit of Rp 10,000 per day.

“If I had more funds to finance my business, I am sure I could reap a bountiful profit. I will buy more jelly molds with the money to develop my business,” she said.

Another young female student from vocational school PGRI 31 in Central Jakarta, Zahrotun, 17, said separately she wanted to start selling food online by promoting it via social media websites such as Instagram to earn money to study at her dream university, Budi Luhur University in South Jakarta.

So far, she said, food from her family catering business, which is delivered only around her neighborhood by family members using motorcycles, has been traditionally promoted through word of mouth.

“My family has a business selling food. I want to expand the business by promoting it online in hopes that more people will know of our food products and buy them,” Zahrotun told the Post.

Zahrotun and Khofifah are among many of the young female students from Jakarta and Tangerang, Banten, who have been “injected” with financial knowledge by the country’s central Bank, Bank Indonesia (BI).

BI, through a women’s empowerment program, Perempuan Bagi Bangsa (Women for the Nation), plans to provide thousands of women, old and young, in Jakarta and Tangerang with the knowledge of how to manage money as well as how to start a business.

BI spokesman Arbonas Hutabarat said on Monday the program’s goal was to increase the contribution of women in the country’s economy as Indonesia has a large number of women.

According to the Central Statistics Agency, the number of female citizens in the country stood at around 118 million in 2010.

“Around 5,000 women, 2,000 of which are female students, in Jakarta and Tangerang are targeted to participate in this Perempuan Bagi Bangsa program,” Arbonas said, adding that the program, which started in June last year, will last until 2018.

As of today, Arbonas said, the program has benefited more than 2,000 female micro-entrepreneurs and around 500 female students. BI is cooperating with the Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB) youth development foundation to conduct this program, he further explained.

A female micro-entrepreneur, Rosiana, 37, of Tanah Abang Central Jakarta, admitted she learned about managing money from the program.

The mother of three, who sells accessories like necklaces and bracelets for a living, said the financial management training, alongside other skills such as cooking and hairdressing, was conducted every week at the YCAB foundation headquarters in Kedoya, West Jakarta. (vny)

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