FKIP – A number of Surakarta Sebelas Maret University (UNS) students who are members of group 92 at the Merdeka Learning Campus Merdeka (MBKM) activity held a community empowerment activity for the Mekarsari woven group in Pule Hamlet, Sukoharjo Village, Tirtomoyo District, Wonogiri Regency. This service activity was held from September 2021 to November 2021.

This activity was one of the UNS pilot programs in an effort to improve the Main Performance Indicators (KPI) set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemdikbudristek), namely off-campus activities. This activity was carried out within a period of three months which includes preparation, implementation, and preparation of reports and outputs.

The selection of the Pule Hamlet Mekarsari Weaving Group as a place of empowerment was based on the needs of the Pule community, which required an introduction to marketing technology, understanding market potential, and making products according to market needs.

Chaired by Titi Yuliatun, a student of the Biology Education Study Program, FKIP UNS, this activity focuses on solving problems faced by the Pule community. Titi explained that this program was expected to help the condition of the weaving group in Pule Hamlet.

“This activity is focused on helping to solve the obstacles experienced by the community, namely the marketing reach of woven products is not yet large and product prices are relatively cheap,” explained Titi.


Titi added that the woven groups in Pule Hamlet still have problems in group organization, for example, the structure is not clear and the main tasks of the management are not yet implemented.

“The problem that is also experienced by this woven group is that the organizational structure is not yet good. The condition of the structure that is not yet good has an impact on the duties of the management who are not good, even not running. This situation causes group productivity to be not optimal and the work system is not measurable,” Titi continued.

This ongoing program has carried out several activities, such as problem mapping, socialization of activity plans, implementation of focused discussion groups, the introduction of forms of innovation, facilitation of structure formation, and explanation of the main tasks of organizational management.

In the future, the programs that will be carried out are comparative studies on advanced woven groups, training on the manufacture of modern bamboo products, introduction to marketing technology, online marketing mentoring, product photo training, product packaging, product distribution, and branding process for Pule Hamlet bamboo woven products

This empowerment activity also collaborates with stakeholders related to program optimization, such as the Pule Hamlet, Sukoharjo Village officials, and the Gita Pertiwi Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).

Titi hopes that this empowerment activity can take place consistently.

“Hopefully, by cooperating with relevant stakeholders, this empowerment activity can take place consistently and the Pule Hamlet community can be helped with their problems,” Titi concluded.

Reporter: Akhmad Mukhibun
Editor: Zalfaa Azalia Pursita

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