This document profiles 3 former Indonesian migrant workers - Narsidah, Maria Bo Niok, and Maizidah Salas - who successfully utilized the economic and social skills gained from working abroad to improve their lives and empower their communities. It describes how each woman transformed from having low economic status and working abroad out of necessity, to becoming leaders who develop businesses and organizations to help others.

1. Tyas Retno Wulan
Sri Wijayanti
@tyashzul@yahoo.com
Center of Research for Gender, Children and Public Services
Jenderal Soedirman University Indonesia
From Zero to Hero: How
Migrants Workers Change the
World

2. Center of Research for Gender, Children and Public Services
Jendral Soedirman University, Indonesia
Dr. Tyas Retno Wulan, M.Si
(Head Officer)
Sri Wijayanti, S.IP., M.Si
(Secretary)
Dra. Tri Rini
W.M.Si
Eri W. S.Ked,
M.Kes
Drs. Hendri
Restuadhi, Msi,
M.A (Soc)
Tri Murniati,
S.S, M.Hum
Agnes F.W,
S.KM., M.Sc
Oktafiani
C.P S.IP,
M.A.
Hikmah
Nuraini,
M.A.P
Dyah Woro,
S.Psi., MA.
Dr. Riris A.
M.H
Dr. Wita
Ramadhanti
Hariyadi, M.A.,
Ph.D
Ayusia
Sabhita
Kusuma,
M.Soc, Sc.

3. ROAD MAP PPGAPM
Knowledge and
Power : The Social
Reinforcement as a
Strategy to
empower
Migrant Workers
(2010-2011)
HIBAH BERSAING
Safe Migration
based village : The
model of Empower
Head of
Village to Prevent
Trafficking in
Banyumas
Regency
(2011-2012)
RISET INSTITUSI
Solving
Female
Migrant
Workers
Problem’s
By Increasing
Community
Participation
To Create
Safe
Migration
(2012)
The Sexual
Behaviour of
The Migrant
Worker’s
Husband in
Banyumas
Regency
(2012) KPAN
Developing
Community
based
entrepreneurship
As A Model Of
Exmigrant Worker
Empowerment In
Banyumas
(straNAS 2013)
Information And
Technology based
village
As A Strategy To
Prevent Trafficking
And To Take Care Of
IMWs Cases
In Banyumas
Regency
(STRANAS 2015)
The Model of Community based
parenting for Children Left
Behind in Banyumas Regency
(SERUNI-TIFA, 2014
Training of Trainer
on Supporting
Group for
Adolescent of
Migrant Worker’s
Children in
Banyumas Regency
(2014)
Empowering The
Migrant Worker and
their family through
entrepreneurship
program (2014)

4. Introduction
 Working abroad has been a promising option for
most Indonesian people. Nowadays,
approximately 6.5 million of Indonesian migrants
workers (IMW) has been recorded making a living
abroad and has sent economic remittance as
much as 107.15 trillion in 2014. Most of them were
women and worked at informal sector.

5.  Unfortunately, a patriarchical model of family
in Indonesia, in the end, does not contribute
much to a significant change of their status
and bargaining position as a woman in
society.
 The situation is, then, worsened by the
stigma that put IMW especially women as a
“second class citizen” and become common
thing in society that they are identical with ex”
housemaid”, not educated  it raises the
stigma that IMW cannot change their life

6. Economic and Social
Remmitances
According to research we have done in (2010,
2013) dealing with the types and patterns of IMW
remittance utilization in Wonosobo and Banyumas,
it revealed that the patterns of IMW economic
remittance utilization are used for consumptive
purposes; investment; debt payment, and
productive matters and it doesnt change their
social status in their community.
IMW also produces social remittance namely any
knowledge, ideas, and social capital owned by
IMW as a result of their working experience
abroad.

7. IMW
SOCIAL
REMMITANC
E
KNOWLEDGE
IDEA / MIND
SET
SOCIAL
NETWORK
language skill,
devices literate,
experiencing flight,
sanitation and hygiene
Discipline; punctuality; hard workin
mindset change (children education
independence, marriage,
gender relations in family etc)
advocacy organization;
Culture,arts; literary; entrepreneurship

8. This films intends to describe some ex IMWs namely Narsidah, Maria Bo Niok and
Maizidah Salas that successfully utilize both their economic and social
remmitances to change not only their life and family better but also empower their
community
Narsidah, Maria Bo Niok, and Maizidah salas enable them to transform their
status from a person who worked abroad due to economic constraint (from zero) to
the one who is able to place herself to be the one who empower themselves and
neighborhood as well (be a hero)

9. NARSIDAH
Narsidah has been worked in
Singapore and Hong Kong.
When working at Hong Kong,
Narsidah was actively
participated in a IMW advocacy
agency.
2008: established SERUNI
(Association for Indonesia and
Female Migrant Worker)
Now: continuing advocacy
migrant worker cases and
economic empowerment by
produce doormats, duck farming
and produce cooked duck and
distribute it by online system.

10. BMI SERUNI Banyumas Association:
Advocacy on BMI cases and Doormat
Craftsman

11. Maria Bo Niok: From Migrant Worker
Literature to instant “tiwul”
Worked Hongkong for
6 year then in Taiwan
for 2 years. During
working there, she
managed her time well
by joining foreign
language courses,
practicing tae kwon do
and writing.
Write 6 Books(Novel
and Cerpen)
2009: Produce cassava
in various snack; tiwul
instant worldwide

13. Maizidah Salas: From Sexual Harrasment Victim
become Migrant Worker Activist
Victim of sexual harassment then
work to South Korea and Taiwan
Saras empowers migrant worker: “Kampung
TKI” (IMW’s village) in order to improve
their standard of living. Saras also
established a micro bank, goat husbandry,
poultry, banana plantation, cooking group
and sewing group, toddler school . All of the
activities are run by migrant workers.