Somatua Foundation Collaborates with MSME Actors to Welcome Vice President Ma’ruf’s Visit

The management of Somatua Foundation in Mimika Regency, Central Papua, is preparing to welcome the planned visit of Vice President of Indonesia, Ma’ruf Amin, scheduled to visit Somatua Training Center (STC) on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. “According to the schedule, Vice President Ma’ruf will come to STC. We are currently preparing several agendas, including collaborating with MSME actors to promote the businesses they are currently developing,” said Maximus Tipagau, Head of Somatua Foundation and Expert Staff to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, to the media last Friday.

The entourage of Vice President Ma’ruf Amin is scheduled to arrive at Mozes Kilangin Airport in Timika at 14:20 WIT. From there, they will proceed directly to Somatua Training Center (STC) for the inauguration plaque signing ceremony,” explained Maximus. After spending about one hour at STC, the Vice President’s group will head to Rimba Papua Hotel (RPH). At RPH, Indonesia’s second highest official will hold a meeting and conduct a socialization session regarding the acceleration of development with the Acting Governor of Central Papua, Dr. Ribka Haluk, and the regents from across Central Papua Province. During the occasion, Vice President Ma’ruf will also meet and hold a dialogue with the leadership of PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI). Afterward, the Vice President’s entourage will return to Mozes Kilangin Airport in Timika and take off at 16:15 WIT heading to Kaimana, West Papua Province.

Besides the plaque signing, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin also had the opportunity to visit the future SMEs (UMKM) booths. In preparation for this, on Thursday (November 24), Maximus Tipagau met directly with community members who own and drive these SMEs to bring their products, including snacks, coffee, and typical Papuan souvenirs. In addition to focusing on education and health, the Somatua Foundation continues to support and empower UMKM actors in Timika and its surroundings. “We realize this collaboration through the UMKM Center, which facilitates the promotion and marketing of their business products,” Maximus explained.

At the meeting with UMKM actors at STC, it is hoped this will mark the starting point for developing the future of UMKM in Timika. “We are implementing the UMKM Center program to accommodate more local business actors at the micro, small, and medium levels. Thanks to the Papuan mothers who have brought their amazing handcrafted organic Papuan snacks. I’ve tasted them one by one. There are various snacks I have tried, including the delicious and savory Tambelo chips,” Maximus praised the local products.

Maximus added that by involving and highlighting UMKM actors during Vice President Ma’ruf’s visit, it serves as a motivation for the future so that indigenous Papuans are no longer mere spectators but active participants in the economy and development, thereby bringing positive benefits to household or community welfare. “At the very least, Papuan residents should be able to afford education, household expenses, food and drink, including buying milk for their children,” Maximus hoped. In the near future, local UMKM actors in Timika will also trial a press and vacuum machine for packaging snacks or typical Timika souvenirs made from natural local ingredients.

Maximus assured that the STC team is continuously preparing, including building a stage made from tailings or mining residue sand (Sirsat) from PTFI. “Our team has been painting the STC fence for several days now, and the event section is preparing flower garlands and souvenirs to be presented to Vice President Ma’ruf and other VIP guests,” Maximus explained. During the Vice President’s visit, hundreds of joint TNI-Polri personnel were deployed to secure the routes traveled and the locations visited by the Vice President’s entourage in Timika.