UMMADA Cirebon Empowers PKK Women to Develop Watermelon Rind Sweets
Lecturers and students from Universitas Muhammadiyah Ahmad Dahlan (UMMADA) Cirebon have carried out a community service activity in Sarewu Village, Pancalang District, Kuningan Regency. The activity targeted the women of the Sarewu Village PKK (Family Welfare Movement) as an effort to improve skills while utilising the village’s local potential.
Sarewu Village is known as one of the watermelon-producing areas. Recognising this potential, the UMMADA Cirebon community service team developed an innovation to turn watermelon rind into a processed product with practical value.
The community service activity carried the theme ‘Empowerment of PKK Women in Making Watermelon Rind Sweets (Miss. LISA) to Overcome Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnant Women in Sarewu Village, Pancalang District, Kuningan Regency’.
The community service was chaired by Apt. Teguh Adiyas Putra, M.Farm from the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme, with members Dr. Apt. Deni Firmansyah, M.Sc from the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme and Wiwin Widyanti, M.Kes from the Bachelor of Midwifery programme.
Through the activity, PKK women were given knowledge and skills in processing watermelon rind into sweets. This innovation is expected not only to help reduce waste from watermelons but also to open up opportunities for utilising local materials into products with added value.
The community service programme was funded by DPPM Kemdiktisaintek under the Community Partnership Empowerment (PKM) scheme for 2026. The purpose of the activity was to provide partners with knowledge about the health benefits of watermelon and to provide training in making watermelon rind sweets, particularly to address nausea and vomiting in pregnant women.
The product of this activity is Miss. Lisa (watermelon rind sweets). Several studies have been conducted on the pharmacological activities of watermelon rind, including as an antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antibacterial agent.
Komariyah, the chairwoman of the Sarewu Village PKK, said the activity was very beneficial for her industry because it can reduce watermelon rind waste.