• en
LOGO USAID ID
  • en
Cover Kesepakatan Kemitraan antara Kopsyah Benteng Mikro Indonesia dan Promosi Pembiayaan Mikro di Kabupaten Tangerang

Partnership Agreement with Kopsyah Benteng Mikro Indonesia and Microfinance Schemes Promotion in Tangerang District

USAID IUWASH PLUS and Koperasi Syariah Benteng Mikro Indonesia (BMI) signed a Partnership Agreement on September 4, 2017 in Tangerang district to implement a collaborative action to implement safely managed water supply and sanitation programs to achieve the Universal Access Target of 2019 or the so-called 100 – 0 – 100 program and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets of 2030. The Agreement was signed by Louis O’Brien, the USAID IUWASH PLUS Chief of Party and Kamaruddin Batubara, the Chief Executive Director of BMI. The agreement covers a three (3) year period from the signatory date of the agreement in 2017 to September 3, 2020.

The partnership includes an agreement: 1) to increase household demand of Kopsyah BMI members, particularly the B40 communities living in urban areas to improve WASH services through WASH microfinance schemes; 2) to support the financing of WASH microfinance products; 3) to develop the septage management programs; and 4) to provide technical assistance for the development of SNI septic tank and water supply services.

USAID IUWASH PLUS will increase the capacity of BMI in implementing activities to increase the needs of safe water supply and sanitation for BMI’s members, conduct market segmentation, increase the quality of WASH-related products through on-the-job training, facilitate working capital for BMI for WASH financing, and develop desludging service for BMI’s members who already have sanitation access through LSIC scheme. Furthermore, BMI will conduct behavior change promotion and triggering activities for its members, provide financing for increasing access to water supply and sanitation, and desludging service as well. Through this agreement and the microfinance scheme, it is expected that BMI can provide access to water supply and sanitation for its 10,000 members until 2018.

Following the signing of the partnership agreement, USAID IUWASH PLUS collaborated with BMI, Water Org and the Opportunity International Australia (OIA) in organizing a Microfinance Workshop on October 18, 2017. The purpose of this workshop was to share information among MFIs, especially those related to experiences in providing microfinance products for water supply and sanitation program, and to encourage cooperatives and MFIs to support the program for increasing household’s access to water supply and sanitation. This workshop was attended by the sanitation operators, Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) from Tangerang and the surrounding areas, the Tangerang district government, Tangerang PDAM, Water Org., OIA, BMI, and the local contractors as the BMI construction partners.

The participants acknowledged the benefits they received from this workshop and extended their appreciation. Ibu Titin from Baitul ihktiar/BAIK Cooperative in Bogor City stated, “This workshop motivates us to replicate the BMI’s achievements in providing microfinance scheme in water supply and sanitation services for the cooperative’s members.”

It appeared that the microfinance scheme is not only beneficial for the cooperative members, but also for other stakeholders, such as the construction partners. ”This microfinance scheme for water supply and sanitation sector has provided business opportunities for the constructions sector. I am thanking USAID IUWASH PLUS that has provided me with the On-the-Job Training for building septic tank construction that meets the SNI standards,” said Anto, a local contractor who has been the BMI construction partner since 2013.