Yayasan Sapa – FreeFrom

About the Organization Contact and Service Areas Successes and Impact Innovative Solutions for IPV Survivors’ Economic Security Survivor Leadership Understanding Economic Harm in Context

About the Organization

Country

Indonesia

Number of survivors served in a year

51 to 100

Languages

English Indonesian

Groups most commonly served

Disabled persons Ethnic, religious, or other minorities Indigenous peoples, communities, or nations Refugees, migrants, or internally displaced persons Rural communities Women Youth, children, or adolescents

Type of organization

Grassroots/community-based organization Nonprofit or non-governmental organization (NGO)

Program model(s)

Community-based financial initiatives Holistic crisis response Rights-based economic justice Survivor-centered income generation Systemic change through strategic partnerships Transforming social norms through community-building

Contact and Service Areas

Email

office@yayasansapa.id

Address

Jalan Ebah RT 01, RW 03, Desa Cipaku, Kecamatan Paseh, Kabupaten Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia

Service Area(s)

West Java, Indonesia

Successes and Impact

“For me personally, the greatest success in economic empowerment is when the survivors can be independent, not dependent on other people or their families…They can survive and help others, too. They can be leaders and reporters, and assist their peers if they are neighbors or relatives.”¹

Yayasan Sapa fosters survivors’ ability to achieve economic security through tailored approaches that boost their confidence and help them support their communities along the way.

Fostering survivors’ economic independence

Economic security is key to Yayasan Sapa’s mission to support survivors. Through skill-building workshops and women’s cooperatives, many survivors gain economic independence and access financial support for needs like healthcare, education, and business funding. While small business sustainability presents challenges, Yayasan Sapa believes that continued investment in economic empowerment can drive lasting success for survivors. “It makes them more confident about themselves,” the organization says, noting the mental and emotional impact of this important programming.

Creating a safe and supportive environment

Yayasan Sapa builds an inclusive space for survivors from all religious backgrounds, countering the social stigma and discrimination that many non-Muslims in Indonesia face. “In this community [Bale Istri], we often outreach about religious diversity. [The group members] were more understanding about religious differences and more accepting.”

This welcoming environment encourages survivors to remain engaged even after they participate in programming. Survivors actively contribute to Yayasan Sapa’s efforts through case assistance and peer support, strengthening their bonds with other survivors in their communities.

Innovative Solutions for IPV Survivors’ Economic Security

Thanks to Yayasan Sapa’s work, “survivors of domestic violence…now have economic independence and [can] help their family financially,” reducing their risk of experiencing more violence.

About the Program

Yayasan Sapa delivers diverse economic programming tailored to women survivors of gender-based violence, especially those in hard-to-reach communities who are often left out by other service providers, such as women from low-income backgrounds, returning migrant workers, rural communities, young people, and people with disabilities.

The organization kickstarts survivors’ entrepreneurship journeys through a small business development program, where participants gain vocational skills, coaching for business development and management, and startup capital and materials. The program also helps participants acquire additional funding from regional governments or local microfinance institutions, which is often difficult for low-income women, young people, and people with disabilities to access without accompaniment from an organization like Yayasan Sapa. Moreover, accessing this additional funding is key for the sustainability of survivors’ businesses beyond the startup stage.

Additional training opportunities offered by Yayasan Sapa focus on vegetable and coffee farm management, product processing and packaging, and access to other employment pathways. Yayasan Sapa also strengthens local Bale Istri women’s community groups, enabling them to educate each other on women’s rights and organize collectively to fight for these rights. Members of these groups have also established cooperatives that foster lasting economic security and independence.

Program Development and Key Strategies

Yayasan Sapa identified the following strategies as key drivers for the success of their economic programming:

Reaching survivors through novel technologies
Diversifying partnerships to enhance services and access
Matching programs to survivors’ specific needs

Reaching survivors through novel technologies

Yayasan Sapa uses digital tools to expand their outreach and streamline services. They leverage their active social media presence on Instagram and Facebook to reach survivors with critical information about available services and support. This is especially effective for reaching young people who may not otherwise be connected to community services.

The organization also developed an innovative survivor self-assessment and intake tool using an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot. The organization explains: “Our initial aim for this tool was for young people, but it can also be used by anybody…The survivor [completes] an assessment so we can help them directly access what they need, such as economic needs, other assistance, or psychological services.”

Diversifying partnerships to enhance services and access

Engaging partners in government and education to support survivors’ business development

Yayasan Sapa engages a wide range of stakeholders across Indonesia to strengthen their programming for survivors. Government bodies such as the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, the West Java Provincial Zakat Agency (BAZNAS), and the local regency government offer equipment and funding to support survivors in developing small businesses.² The organization works specifically with the West Java Provincial Zakat Agency’s “Mustahiq to Pengusaha (MTOP)” program, an entrepreneurship development program that reaches survivors who own small and medium-sized businesses.

Additionally, Yayasan Sapa partners with local universities to host entrepreneurship courses and develop learning modules to bolster survivors’ business skills. These collaborations serve an important dual purpose: they support survivors’ economic security while also showing government and educational institutions how entrepreneurship can be a powerful strategy to break the cycle of violence.

Deepening collaboration with key local stakeholders

Yayasan Sapa collaborates with volunteers, the Forum Pengada Layanan (FPL) service provider network, and other key stakeholders across several Indonesian cities to ensure survivors can quickly access the support they need. By strengthening coordination among various local actors, the organization improves the range of services available for survivors while advancing their broader movement-building strategy.

“[W]e are expanding our network with several strategic partners,” the organization says. “These partners help us convey information to women—especially young people—to access [our] services and programs.” In West Java, Yayasan Sapa is also building a regional “advocacy node” by “consolidating the women’s movement and other social movements,” recognizing that strong local networks attuned to survivors’ experiences can power successful movement-building and advocacy.

Matching programs to survivors’ specific needs

Yayasan Sapa tailors their economic programs to meet the unique needs of survivors from diverse backgrounds, ensuring everyone receives targeted support. The organization provides specialized vocational training in sewing, culinary arts, fashion design, and handicrafts—including dedicated opportunities for young people with disabilities—to enable survivors to build skills aligned with their interests and circumstances. For those facing barriers to outside employment, particularly survivors of domestic violence, Yayasan Sapa offers guidance for launching home-based businesses, ensuring accessible pathways to financial independence.

Survivor Leadership

“Some of these survivors [who are] migrant workers, domestic violence survivors, and sexual violence survivors have joined our organization or Bale Istri communities. They actively participate to give assistance as they were once survivors.”

Yayasan Sapa equips survivors to become leaders within the organization and in the wider community. Former program participants receive training to serve as peer advocates, joining the Bale Istri women’s community to support and inspire the members: “We give them training, so they can relay to their friends and people around their regions…In terms of capacity, they are well equipped, and they can actively join our community.”

Understanding Economic Harm in Context

Yayasan Sapa’s work and programming are designed to address the needs of women living in West Java and migrant workers with connections to the region. The organization notes that patriarchal norms in intimate relationships, along with numerous social and systemic challenges faced by migrant workers, impede economic security for survivors in their community. The following key factors shape how survivors experience economic harm in their region:

Patriarchal norms give rise to economic harm in intimate relationships
Women become migrant workers to escape violence but remain at risk

Patriarchal norms give rise to economic harm in intimate relationships

Women lack the freedom to earn their own income

“[For many] of the survivors, the family or even the husband himself forbids them to work, even though . . . the husbands [are] not working,” Yayasan Sapa says. The organization notes that because of this economic restriction, survivors struggle to fulfill their households’ basic needs and provide education for their children.

Conversely, some women are forced to earn an income for their families. Yayasan Sapa comments that these women are “overworked . . . because the family really depends on them, especially the husbands.” Though these women are permitted to work, the organization notes that they often do not have control over how this money is spent.

Economic neglect and trafficking as additional forms of harm in intimate relationships

Yayasan Sapa notes that the survivors they work with are commonly subjected to economic neglect: “[M]ostly the economic exploitation is in the form of economic neglect. These survivors have not been sent money or they have been left without any financial support for such a long time.” Frequently, these survivors have partners who refuse to work or support with domestic tasks, including contributing financially to household needs. Yayasan Sapa comments, “Survivors have to work, take care of the house, and take care of their children. It’s such a double burden for them.”

Moreover, the survivors Yayasan Sapa works with are sometimes trafficked by their intimate partners for personal financial gain. The organization says that some survivors are “forced to have sexual intercourse with [their] husband’s friends to pay debts and earn another income.”

Women become migrant workers to escape violence but remain at risk

Women attempt to break free from violence by becoming migrant workers

Many women in Indonesia leave the country to become migrant workers. “Women workers have so many reasons to look into working abroad,” Yayasan Sapa says. One of these is because “they experienced domestic violence in their own home . . . They think [working abroad] is the only way to get out of the house.”

Women migrant workers continue to shoulder economic burdens while abroad

Once abroad, women migrant workers can earn income, but economic security remains elusive. Due to familial and societal expectations, they often do not use the money for themselves but instead send it back home.

Yayasan Sapa comments: “Because the money that the migrant workers earn is quite large [by Indonesian standards], people [expect] the women workers will give the money to their family. Then the family will continuously demand that women migrant workers keep sending the money.” As a result, these women continue to work but may not be able to meet their own needs while abroad.

Women migrant workers face additional risks to their safety and well-being

Yayasan Sapa handles reports from women migrant workers who experience violence. “On average, those are victims of human trafficking,” the organization says. In addition to human trafficking, the International Labour Organization has found that Indonesian migrants, particularly women working in informal sectors and low-wage occupations, are frequently subjected to harassment and labor exploitation.³ They also face limited access to essential services and minimal social protection measures, furthering their economic vulnerability.⁴

Notes

Direct quotes are slightly edited for style and flow.
The National Board of Zakat for the Republic of Indonesia (BAZNAS) is Indonesia’s non-structural government institution authorized to manage zakat, a form of Islamic philanthropy in which Muslims or business entities owned by Muslims who meet a specific financial threshold distribute a certain portion of their wealth to those who are entitled to receive it in accordance with Islamic law. See: https://baznas.go.id; Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia, “House Explains Baznas and LAZ,” July 8, 2025, https://en.mkri.id/news/details/2025-07-08/House_Explains_Baznas_and_LAZ#:~:text=Baznas%20is%20a%20non%2Dstructural,%2C%20distributing%2C%20and%20utilizing%20zakat.
International Labour Organization, “New PROTECT Project Supports Women Migrant Workers and Children in Indonesia,” Press Release, May 14, 2024, https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/new-protect-project-supports-women-migrant-workers-and-children-indonesia.
Ayunda Eka Pratama and Joseph Hincks, “Scars of Trafficking: Heart-Wrenching Stories from Indonesian Migrant Workers,” International Organization for Migration, August 8, 2024, https://indonesia.iom.int/stories/scars-trafficking-heart-wrenching-stories-indonesian-migrant-workers#:~:text=Around%203.3%20million%20Indonesians%20were,24%20months%20of%20gruelling%20labour.