Waiting For The Action Of 'Srikandi' Sumba To Involve In Organization


Honestly, women’s role cannot be underestimated. Every woman has power to overcome any obstacles and challenges. Like 'Srikandi', one of the female figures, the Arjuna's wife, a brave and skillful heroine using crossbow in the story of Mahabharata, Sumbanese women are also expected to be intelligent and brave. The women's involvement has been proved important started from a small scope such as instilling good character to children in family until a broader scope such as economic, political, social, cultural aspects, even security and defense. That’s why women’s active participation, especially in Sumba, still needs to be increased, especially in organization involvement. Generally, women are involved only as members and they rarely occupy position of chairman or decision makers in organization. This is the main reason that I, Elisabeth Uru Ndaya, was encouraged to give motivations to young Sumba women to participate in organizations and institutions and to be able to occupy important position.


The Student Christian Movement in Indonesian (GMKI) is one Christian organization in Waingapu having concerns to improve women’s participation in Sumba. Lack of women’s involvement from time to time in organization, made this institution try to find the best solution to answer. In the last few years, the number of female members of GMKI Waingapu has decreased, from 20 members to only 7 women members.

On October 5, 2019, I was invited to be a speaker at GMKI Introductory meeting for new students at STT (Theological Institute) GKS Lewa, attended by 37 participants with 24 female participants. I was entrusted to be the lighter for female participants to keep spirit in maintaining consistency in organization and to equip them with knowledge and qualifications of good behaviors, so that in the future they will be ready to occupy important positions in organization.


The SWOT analysis that I used with Mely Njurumana, SE., a partner activist to do advocacy for women, helped participants to find and evaluate themselves by finding strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that exist in themselves and their environment. From the analysis they found strengths, such as women having an important role, namely: giving birth intelligent generation; women become household managers and care for children; women are diligent in doing a job; and potential in weaving cloth, dance, farming and making crafts. The weaknesses of Sumbanese women in general are; they still feel weaker than men; they accept cultural rules without understanding the reasons, for example women only take care the kitchen and no need to have higher education; and they do not dare to fight for their dream even though there are many examples of women activists in organizations and institutions. Actually many opportunities are available for women as the increase of awareness to get higher education, besides that tourism in Sumba attracts more tourists so there are many opportunities for women to take part in it, further information about many things are more easily obtained so it is easy for women to follow the development of the era and knowledge. The threats are Sumbanese women lack of confidence and support from the closest group even family to move forward and  men don’t want to diminish their power, worse is the fear of the image that woman is against Sumba culture whenever women promote gender equality.


From the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, however, women must continue to do progress and to keep the spirit to develop their potencies so that they can contribute ideas to decide something in their family, community or church. Therefore, Sumba women, especially young people do not need to be discouraged to walk on with enthusiasm, perseverance and strategy. The young "Srikandi" of Sumba will be able to take part for the progress of the island of Sumba (Elizabeth Uru Ndaya).

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