Founder at Fingertalk Enterprise
Inspired by a volunteering trip to Latin America where I dined at a café staffed entirely by Deaf individuals, Ifounded Fingertalk Enterprise to connect hearing and Deaf people in her home country of Indonesia and reduce unemployment among the country’s Deaf youth.
After learning sign language, I recruited a team of both Deaf and hearing individuals to launch the Fingertalk Café, a cozy, comfortable space where everyone in the community can connect and share a meal—regardless of how they communicate.
Seeing the success of the café, my team and I expanded our social enterprise to include a handicrafts market and car wash, each providing meaningful jobs to unemployed Deaf youth. Currently, Fingertalk has reached more than 1000 people with disability all across Indonesia through its employment opportunity and training programs.
PhD Student on Disability Rights
Currently researching about the effect of human rights treaties, specifically UN Convention of Rights for Persons with Disability (UNCRPD), to the promotion of disability rights in Indonesia, under the doctoral program at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) Japan, I also work with disabled people's organization (DPOs) in Beppu, Japan, to spread awareness about inclusion and disability movements in Indonesia.
The World Bank Youth Advisor
I was selected to be one of youth advisers on youth unemployment issue for the World Bank Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE). My role is to provide feedback and input on design of World Bank youth employment operations, knowledge products, reports and studies. In addition to that, as a youth adviser, I participate in knowledge sharing events including clinics and webinars on youth employment with other young leaders across the globe.
Social Entrepreneurship
My learning grounds on how to create impact and have sustainable business
Fingertalk: Deaf Cafe, Car Wash & Workshop
2015
The idea to create Fingertalk came from my personal goal to learn sign language. When I was 10 years old, I met the very first Deaf person in my life. There, I realized the power of sign language that connect both Deaf and hearing persons, breaking the barrier that often exists.
Fingertalk strives to be a platform where everyone, Deaf or hearing, can share ideas and learn from each other. Started from a small cafe and workshop in Pamulang, Banten, now Fingertalk has another cafe and also a car wash in Cinere, West Java. With the support of various stakeholders, it has become an enterprise that gives way for local youths and community to have their own platform, empower local businesses run by people with disability in rural areas of Indonesia such as Poso, Kebumen and many more.
Banua Momberata: House of Encounters
2017
Banua Momberata is an inclusive community hub, cafe and training center in post-conflict area of Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The hub is run by Hearing youths, Deaf youths and youths with other disability. The name "house of encounters" in local Posonese language symbolizes the hope for Banua Momberata to be a melting pot of different communities in Poso.
During the first year of its establishment, Banua Momberata, supported by The Embassy of the United States of America, was able to conduct monthly training and workshop impacting more than 500 local youths, women and children.
Plushindo: Play & Learn!
2018
Plushindo is a creative training program targeting underprivileged Deaf youths to create plush toys in order to spread awareness about animal conservation and inclusion to the schoolchildren of Indonesia.
Plush toys made by the Deaf crew are modeled after six Indonesian endangered animals, such as orangutan, komodo dragon and Javan rhino, which then delivered to school children living in area nearby the habitat of those animals through an educational workshop. Plushindo was supported by New Zealand Embassy in Indonesia, and was able to produce 600 plush toys for 600 children in six different provinces of Indonesia.
Roufa: A Community Hub
2018
Roufa is an inclusive business and training center for youths with disability in rural area of Kebumen, Central Java. Being the second poorest city in the province, Kebumen actually holds an untapped labor potential, with more than 15,000 people with disability residing as its citizens. Roufa, powered by Fingertalk, partnering with local government of Kebumen, wants to enhance the capacity of each individual with disability by offering workshop and training program. Roufa also opens cafe with Deaf crew to spread awareness about sign language in the region.
Volunteer Experience
Organizations and projects that have compassionately taught me the purpose of life
As Sakinah Foundation is located in a small kampong of Bambu Apus in South Tangerang. I have been volunteering there since the beginning of 2006 as English and Japanese language teacher as well as music and traditional dance instructor as well.
I have helped the foundation to kickstart their first crowdfunding event in 2017 to support the expansion of the school by having new classroom and library for the children, many of whom are orphans.
I currently serve as the vice president of the Foundation, and the organization has expanded to have a kindergarten, elementary school and junior high school, taking care of more than 500 students every year.
In 2013, I resigned from my job in Tokyo and packed my bag to have one of the most life-changing experiences in my life. I went to Granada, Nicaragua, to be a volunteer at Education Plus Nicaragua and working with underprivileged children there.
As a former accounting and business student, I also managed purchases of food and supplies, stocktaking all inventories and compiled a consolidated financial statement to present to donors and board members.
I learned Spanish to communicate with the children over there, and became the first Indonesian they have ever met. In this beautiful colonial town I stumbled upon "cafe de las sonrisas", a Deaf cafe which later inspired me to start Fingertalk.
In 2012, I was selected as an ambassador by student organization, Global Village, to represent the University of New South Wales Australia as one of 10 delegates for a "women empowerment" volunteering program India.
However, rather than we empower the locals, we actually were the one BEING empowered, as we saw how they persevere with life amidst their difficulties.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to teach basic English and personal hygiene to more than 30 underprivileged "Dalit" children or the so-called untouchable caste in Setrawa, a remote village in Jodhpur, India.
Fellowships
When being an agent of change means to connect with like-minded people around the globe
YSEALI Professional Fellowship Program
2016
Arlington, Virginia
ChangemakerXchange
2017
Manila
Laureate Global Fellows
2017
Madrid
Young Business Leaders Initiative (YBLI)
2017
Wellington & Christchurch
Yunus & Youth
2017
Vital Voices Lead Fellowship
2017
Johannesburg
Talks
because story telling matters.
TEDxPenangRoad
My first ever TEDxTalk telling people how things we often thought as a barrier can actually connect us and change our perception of others.
Youth Action Net @ Universidad Europea, Madrid
Fingertalk - Ending stigma against Deaf youths in Indonesia
Coming Soon: TEDxAPU
What makes us "Us"?
Awards & Achievements
Grand Prix Winner
SDGs Action Award 2019 by Asahi Shimbun
Selected as the first prize winner with “Plushindo”, a project to empower Deaf youths in Indonesia by making creative product to support endangered animals, promoting sustainable development goals in Indonesia and Japan
Top Achiever
One Beppu Dream 2019
Achieved first place during live crowdfunding event of One Beppu Dream by pitching my idea in japanese about creating an inclusive community hub in Beppu, Japan to investors from various sectors
Hult Prize Regional Finalist
Tokyo Regional Summit 2019
Representing team Fingertalk, as the winner of Hult Prize APU campus round, to pitch social business idea of creating more than 10,000 jobs in the next decade for underprivileged and disconnected youths with disability in ASEAN and Africa
Ganthari Award Winner
Kick Andy Metro TV (2018)
Selected as one of the recipients of Ganthari Award from Metro TV, Kick Andy and PT.Telkom Indonesia for my work with Fingertalk to create inclusive opportunities for people with disability, especially the Deaf in Indonesia
"Tokoh Metro" 2017
Koran Tempo Indonesia
Selected by the governor of Jakarta and Tempo newspaper as the award recipient due to the contribution in creating inclusive job opportunities for people with disability in Greater Jakarta area
Markplus Citizen 4.0 Under 40
Markplus
Selected by Markplus, Southeast Asia's premiere consulting firm, as on of 40 young changemakers under 40 years old that bravely choose to listen to their life callings and use their lives to positively impact society, humanity and the world through their businesses, organizations and lives by various impacts
Thoughts and stories
go check out my blog to read more
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