MERANGAT FOUNDATION

(SINCE 2013; FOUNDED BY STEPHANUS MULYADI)

Who are we?

The Merangat Foundation is a local foundation in the Kapuas Hulu District, West Kalimantan, established on July 18, 2013. It was founded by Stephanus Mulyadi, MSc. The Merangat Foundation collaborates with various stakeholders to improve human resources. It is a nonprofit organization officially recognized and notarized by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia.

Currently, the Merangat Foundation focuses on a program to preserve the traditional culture of indigenous peoples in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. This program involves maintaining traditional activities such as handicrafts (weaving and braiding). Handicrafts like weaving and braiding have long been a part of society, dating back to our ancestors. Initially, these products were made for personal and domestic use. Later, market demand grew due to their uniqueness, and today they are available as local products. However, as demand has increased, fewer people are able to take on this task, partly due to the inability to pass these skills on to the next generation. Additionally, tools and materials that were once freely available from nature are now lacking. Therefore, the Merangat Foundation has developed a strategic plan to help the community preserve traditional activities. The efforts aim to promote economic development through traditional activities like weaving and braiding. These initiatives are intended to enable local artisans to continue practicing traditional crafts and further economic development. Efforts include capacity-building for local artisan groups in product management to optimize product marketing.

The Merangat Foundation uses social media (Instagram) to provide important information to youth and adults on improving their skills and abilities. This includes information about opportunities to study abroad, enhancing English and German language skills. Through social media (Instagram), information about local potential and knowledge in Kapuas Hulu is also shared, such as local medicinal plants used by the community and cultural activities organized and/or participated in by the Merangat Foundation. The program aims to offer generations, especially in Kapuas Hulu, a space to learn and develop. Through this program, individuals will gain access to information and broaden their horizons.

Purpose: In the areas of education, socio-culture, media, and IT, activities may include:

– Organizing, continuing, and establishing educational institutions, teaching, and qualification programs,
both formal and non-formal, courses, vocational training centers

– Organizing, continuing, and establishing health facilities, polyclinics, and health centers

– Establishing, continuing, and operating social and rehabilitation centers

– Providing skills, building networks, technologies, and information useful for the development of the foundation’s activities

– Organizing collaboration with supportive parties both domestically and internationally that are beneficial to the development of the foundation’s activities