Yayasan Losari

Yayasan Losari is an independent non-profit foundation based in Indonesia. This organization supports community and women empowerment programs in the Losari Village and Gemawang Village in Central Java. Over the years, Yayasan Losari has developed both short and long-term programs in the areas of Environment, Education, Empowerment of Women and Heritage Preservation. One of their largest programs is empowering rural women to start enterprises producing Batik, a type of cloth.

Batik, a cloth that is traditionally made using a manual wax-resist dyeing technique, has become a prominent national product in Indonesia during the last few decades. It has expanded in style and color, and now is spreading to markets across the globe. During the last three years, with the growth of the Batik industry, Yayasan Losari (or Losari Foundation) has initiated Batik activities in several women’s groups. The discovery of natural indigo dye in the area surrounding the village helped start the Batik female empowerment programs in Losari.

The expansion of Losari’s Batik programs is based on the concept of a social company, where the initiation, production, and marketing have all been carried out together. These programs help empower the local society’s economy while taking into account the environment and the preservation of local culture.