If you work hard, you can pay for your household needs and educate your children. With this copra production, it’s much easier now, as long as you’re diligent.
A Life Shaped by Hard Work
Maria Dalu Werang is a farmer from East Flores, Indonesia, and a mother of three. For most of her life, farming was her only source of income. Days began early in the rice fields and ended at dusk, all to make sure her children could go to school.
Despite years of sacrifice, the challenges never stopped. One of her children has completed university but cannot find work. For Maria, money has always determined what is possible. Without it, she says, “all paths are closed.”
When the farming season ends, Maria looks for other ways to survive, selling banana hearts at the market or cutting and selling bananas. Every day is about finding the next source of income.
Traditional Copra, Endless Challenges
Before working with YPPS, Maria was involved in traditional copra production. The process was physically demanding and unpredictable. Coconuts were split and dried outdoors, completely dependent on the weather.
When the rains came, copra spoiled easily. Farmers rushed to cover coconuts with plastic sheets, if they had them. If not, they simply accepted the loss. Coconut husks were often discarded or burned as firewood, wasting a valuable resource.
“It was hard,” Maria recalls. “If the rain didn’t stop, everything was ruined.”
Solar Drying and a New Way Forward
That changed when YPPS introduced solar-powered drying houses through the WE for JET project. Using renewable energy, farmers can now dry coconuts in just four days instead of a full week, protected from rain and spoilage.
Maria is part of Perkarin (Persatuan Kaka Arin, or “Siblings Union”), a family-based group of 19 members spanning generations. Together, they peel, split, dry, weigh, and sell white copra using the solar dryer.
The group also made a crucial decision: instead of dividing profits immediately, they created a shared fund. Because coconuts are harvested only every three months, the fund allows them to buy coconuts collectively and support members when supplies are scarce.
Even small returns make a difference. “It helps our household economy,” Maria says. “It really helps me personally.”
Nothing Goes to Waste
Under the project, coconut husks are no longer thrown away. They are turned into high-quality charcoal, cleaner, more energy-efficient, and suitable for export. The group has also received training in organic fertilizer, reducing waste and improving their crops.
Maria has embraced every opportunity to learn. She is eager to produce briquettes from coconut fibre, another resource that was once burned or discarded.
“Just give us the opportunity,” she says. “I will work.”
Women Leading the Energy Transition
In Maria’s village, women manage households, but they also earn income. In Perkarin, women outnumber men. They collect coconuts, produce copra, and make snacks from bananas, sweet potatoes, and coconuts to sell at local schools.
Through WE for JET, women like Maria are not just benefiting from renewable energy, they are helping lead a just energy transition. By combining solar power, local resources, and collective decision-making, they are building resilience in a place where opportunities are limited but determination is not.
For Maria, the work is still hard, but now, it leads somewhere.
Women Leading the Energy Transition
In Maria’s village, women manage households, but they also earn income. In Perkarin, women outnumber men. They collect coconuts, produce copra, and make snacks from bananas, sweet potatoes, and coconuts to sell at local schools.
Through WE for JET, women like Maria are not just benefiting from renewable energy, they are helping lead a just energy transition. By combining solar power, local resources, and collective decision-making, they are building resilience in a place where opportunities are limited but determination is not.
For Maria, the work is still hard, but now, it leads somewhere.
Acknowledgement
Oxfam acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
