Building Economic Independence Through Training on Processing Wood Waste in Jepara
Equal Indonesia Foundation (YIS), in collaboration with Bank Infaq, NRC, and Gentanala, conducted a program to build economic independence through training on processing wood waste in Jepara, Central Java, on Friday (6/2/2026). The aim of the activity was to empower residents to become economically independent by utilizing wood waste. The training, attended by 30 participants, took the form of a workshop on making phone holders and wooden necklace pendants from wood waste.
Participants were also taught hard skills in producing phone holders and resin keychains. Wood waste was chosen as the material because it is cheap and easy to modify. After the offline session, participants received three weeks of online mentoring.
They could discuss challenges with the trainer or receive guidance on business development, creating promotional content, and digital marketing strategies. Founder of YIS, Sandiaga Uno, expressed appreciation to NRC and Bank Infaq for their collaboration in this program.
“I’m delighted to be able to collaborate. Hopefully, this program will be the first step toward future collaborations. This has indeed been our long-standing focus: to empower the nation’s potential, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, and rural communities,” he said in a press release on Monday (9/2/2026).
He added that the training in Jepara is part of village empowerment efforts. The city is known as a center for woodcraft and furniture, making the innovation of processing wood waste into value-added products highly relevant.
Meanwhile, NRC representative Wawan emphasized the importance of innovation in processing wood waste. “With the assistance of Mas Reza, participants can learn to create new works. We hope the participants will continue to develop innovative products in their communities,” he said.
One of the participants and training mentors, Reza—who previously joined the Rocket Youthpreneur program—shared his experience of turning wood waste into watches.
He explained that the Gentanala brand he built focuses on utilizing wood waste to create high-value products, such as boxes, watches, phone cases, and other accessories. “Teak wood waste, which is usually discarded, can be processed again into products with high selling value, even for export. This also helps protect the environment because the waste is not burned or thrown away,” he concluded.
