Text: M. Ashari, Photo: Document
Translated by: Beta D. Adiwidjaja
CIANJUR –Various products derived from the business cooperation between 170 students of Prasetiya Mulya Business School (PMBS) Tangerang in cooperation with the residents of Babakan Sari Village, Sukaluyu Sub district, Cianjur Regency, are displayed at Sukaluyu Village Administration Building, on Saturday (2/28). That variety of products includes veil ornaments, batik, and food.
That business cooperation between PMBS students and residents of Sukaluyu Sub district is a community development program initiated by PMBS. Its goal is to pioneer the development of business partnership in the village. This business partnership program initiated by PMBS has entered its fifth year. In the first three year, the business partnership program was carried out in Sukabumi.
Deputy Chairman of PMBS Agus Suhadi says that this program is performed with partnership and fostering system. “Students will prepare the financing, whether it is the first investment and working capital, while the partner prepares the energy and spirit to run the business with students,” says Agus.
PMBS Community Development (Comdev) Lecturer’s aide Burhan Primanintyo says, the objective of this business partnership program is not just partner whose house is occupy by PMBS student, but also people who lives around partners, and farmers in the village. According to him, Babakansari village will be made as a field laboratory for the development of local raw material based entrepreneurship.
Burhan added that his part has observed and selected village residents which will become PMBS students’ business partners. The main considerations of this observation and selection, says Burhan, are the resident’s commitment, faith, and motivation to develop themselves and their surroundings.
“Because the business that will be carried out in this program has not yet become a main income support, then even resident who has a job can become partner under the condition that they have family members, especially wife whose at home and have the time to do business activity. Particularly a limited time of production activity and marketing,” says Burhan.
Village head of Babakansari, Djalaludin says that this partnership business program gives job options for residents in his area when farm productions are decreasing. According to him, in 2007, Babakansari village can produce 10 ton of rice plants. But this year they can only produce 5 ton of rice plants per hectare. The impact is there are many residents who are unemployed. In the other hand, according to Djalaludin, villagers are still depending too much on farming and husbandry.
“With this program, hopefully residents are having job alternative to become merchants and entrepreneurs when farming productions is decreasing,” says Djalaludin.
In order to keep this business development successful and can continue to be evaluated, then this joint venture business program of students and partners will continue to be monitored for this whole month by PMBS Comdev team which consist of lecturer, mentor, tutor, and student.
