Single mother turns women into silversmiths<\/p>\n
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Gianyar<\/p>\n
Janet Molloy first came to Bali almost 30 years ago as a young,
\nenthusiastic, qualified chef from Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n
Her dream was to visit the island, to see the beautiful
\nscenery and to learn about its culture and cuisine.<\/p>\n
She fell in love with the island and met her husband, now ex-
\nhusband; they tied the knot in l988. As a professional chef, what
\noccurred to her first was to open a restaurant or to work at a
\nprestigious dining establishment in Bali.<\/p>\n
It turned out rather differently. Here she is now, surrounded
\nby an array of intricate, handmade silver jewelry produced by
\nhundreds of Balinese young men and women in Banjar Kemenuh,
\nGianyar, about 40 kilometers north of Denpasar.<\/p>\n
\"You never know what will happen to you, even though you might
\nwell have planned your future,\" recalled Janet, who had to remain
\nstrong after what seemed like a marriage made in heaven turned
\nsour. The couple got divorced, leaving her with two teenage boys
\nand a girl.<\/p>\n
\"My parents and sisters frequently urged me to go back home.
\nBut I had two children; they were Indonesian citizens and I was
\ntheir mother. I felt I had to be here for them,\" Janet said.<\/p>\n
More importantly, she had dozens of people working at her Jani
\nSilver company. \"I did not want to leave them. What would have
\nhappened to their families?\" asked Janet.<\/p>\n
She took a drastic decision by applying for Indonesian
\ncitizenship five years ago. \"It was a memorable moment,\" she
\nsaid. As a daughter and granddaughter of Australian soldiers, she
\nobviously had considerable national pride. \"But it was an honor
\nfor me to be able to become an Indonesian citizen,\" she recalled.<\/p>\n
With no design and jewelry manufacturing experience, she ran
\nthe company and fought for a place in the Balinese silver
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
\"You can do everything and can change your life as long as you
\nare willing to learn and are open to change. Jani is a Balinese
\nword that means 'present' or 'now'. This means you have to do it
\nnow,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
Originally manufactured only by Balinese goldsmiths and
\nsilversmiths from the Pande clan, Balinese jewelry was previously
\nmade for royals and for ceremonial purposes. Today, almost every
\nfamily in Celuk, Banjar Kemenuh, Gianyar, is involved in the
\nhome-based jewelry industry.<\/p>\n
\"It was a family business, but when we divorced I took care of
\nthe business,\" Janet said. Starting a new life, she reorganized
\nthe company, introducing modern and professional management
\nsystems, including a redesign of the product range, human
\nresources training and expansion of the market.<\/p>\n
\"There was an abundance of young people here who could be
\ntrained as professional managers, designers and silverware
\nmakers, many of whom had inherited their craft skills from their
\nparents,\" she added.<\/p>\n
It was not an easy job to convince the village youngsters that
\nthey were capable of working in such professional capacities. \"I
\nplanned an integrated human resources development program to
\nascertain the right talent and people for every position in the
\nfactory,\" Janet said.<\/p>\n
She is now well satisfied at having appointed a number of
\nyoung villagers as marketing officials, designers and human
\nresources managers at her factory.<\/p>\n
More importantly, she has broken the traditional rules by
\npersuading girls and women to work as silversmiths. \"Making
\njewelry was an exclusively male occupation. Many women had
\nhitherto been reluctant to take on such jobs because it was
\nunusual, especially within close-knit, Balinese jewelry
\nfamilies,\" she said.<\/p>\n
With careful nurturing, she found that many girls were very
\ntalented.<\/p>\n
\"They really could master the tasks required if given half a
\nchance to develop themselves. I really knew that it was not
\nimpossible for people to realize their dreams,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Made Manik, one of her staff, said that Ibu Janet, as the boss
\nis affectionately called, has made her responsible for handling
\nall the office-based tasks.<\/p>\n
\"Many girls here are happy now because they can earn their own
\nmoney and have acquired new skills,\" said Manik, who was
\npreviously a bank employee in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
There is still much to do to improve the lives of her
\nemployees. \"We're facing stiff competition from neighboring
\ncountries like Thailand, Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia,\" said
\nJanet.<\/p>\n
The local jewelry trade is not very competitive since it
\nconsists mostly of family-run business. It is also affected by a
\nshortage of raw materials, some of which, including gemstones,
\nmust be imported, as well as a lack of design flair, management
\nand marketing skills.<\/p>\n
No less important is the lack of legal transparency and of
\ngovernment policy that should support small-scale industries like
\nthese.<\/p>\n
Crucially, Bali and places elsewhere in Indonesia are losing
\ntheir best silversmith due to a lack of sustainability within the
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
\"By persuading women to get involved in this type of
\nprofession, I hope that more young people will become interested
\nin making silver handicrafts,\" said Janet, adding she was busy
\nmaking preparations for an Independence Day party for her staff
\nand villagers.<\/p>\n
\"Every Aug. 17 we hold a very special event to celebrate the
\nday,\" she said with a smile.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/single-mother-turns-women-into-silversmiths-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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