Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is currently preparing around 100 large national cooperatives to become mentors of Red and White Village Cooperatives, aiming to strengthen their human resource capacity and cooperative governance
President Director of the Revolving Fund Management Institution (LPDB) Krisdianto stated that the mentoring concept is key to helping the village cooperatives start their operations faster.
"The mentoring concept is highly important, considering that many village cooperative administrators are first-timers in managing cooperatives, thereby needing support in knowledge, skills, and governance," he said in a press statement here on Saturday.
Furthermore, he explained that accelerating the Red and White Village Cooperatives program is currently a government priority.
The President has directed the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) to assist in expediting the verification and establishment of the village cooperatives, as the government has set a target to have 20,000 verified village cooperatives nationwide by the end of January 2026.
To monitor the implementation of the mentoring concept, LPDB has visited the Cileunyi Wetan Red and White Village Cooperative of Bandung District, West Java.
The cooperative is one of the pilot cooperatives that now has several outlets, including a staple goods store and a pharmacy. The Cileunyi Wetan Red and White Village Cooperative has been mentored by the Citra Mandiri Savings and Loan Cooperative (KSP), which is an LPDB partner cooperative.
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In addition to preparing cooperatives to serve as mentors, the Ministry of Cooperatives will also place hundreds of administrators in an internship program at established cooperatives.
Administrators from 500 Red and White Village Cooperatives designated as pilot cooperatives will be placed at six established cooperatives that already have well-functioning business models. The internship will last for 8–10 days and involve direct, hands-on practice.
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The Indonesian government initiated the Red and White Village Cooperatives program with several objectives, including empowering village residents, creating jobs, making essential key commodities and services more accessible, and alleviating extreme poverty.
This aligns with the Asta Cita mission of President Prabowo Subianto's administration, namely, driving development from the village level for economic equity and poverty eradication.
