The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Pikul NTT is partnering with OCD Beach and Cafe along with several partners, namely the Pikul Association, Imut Motorbike Gang, CIS Timor, Kupang Batanam Community, Dalen Mesa Organic Farming Community, Tafena Tabua Association, Alfa Omega Foundation and Cemara Foundation to train the group women to empower local food.

Pikul Director Torry Kuswardono at Uiasa Beach, Semau District, Kupang Regency, Saturday (24/10) said that Pikul continues to encourage women to process local food such as Semau black rice, Semau yellow corn and several other local foods to become typical Semau culinary delights that can be enjoyed. by tourists when visiting.

“We encourage them to make local ingredients or food into culinary delights such as cakes and various foods that tourists can enjoy,” he said.

Apart from that, there is encouragement to empower local community food for women’s groups in Uiasa Village to increase women’s income. In the future, Uiasa Beach will be visited by many tourists so it needs early empowerment.

He considers Uiasa Beach to be a beach with natural marine tourism, the culture and history of Semau are also available in Uiasa Village so he encourages the Tourism Village to be fully empowered as a tourism actor.

Meanwhile, the Head of Uiasa Village, Daud Neno Keba, said that Uiasa Beach is one of the beaches with great potential on Semau Island.

This beach has created many memories for the people of Uiasa Village. In the 90s, the beach was busy with hundreds to thousands of foreign and domestic tourists.

“Uiasa Beach used to be in the 90s, many foreign tourists or foreigners would sunbathe on the beach, like in Bali. “We saw that the beach was full of foreigners, but the riots in 1999 and the cessation of direct flights to Kupang, Darwin or Australia, there was a monetary crisis so that all tourism sector businesses in Uiasa Village stopped and only the ruins of buildings or accommodation and bars were left as memories for the people of Uiasa Village,” he said. .

According to him, Uiasa Beach attracts tourists because of its stretch of white sand, apart from that in the morning you can enjoy the sun rise, and the view under the sea can be presented with thousands of coral reefs.

He misses the atmosphere when it was busy with tourists because it could have a positive impact on improving the economy of the people in the village.

“Other places seeing tourists while sunbathing is rare, but the residents of Uiasa Village have seen them over and over again so it has become normal,” he said. (bev/ol)

https://www.victorynews.id/lsm-pikul-latih-kelompok-wanita-desa-uiasa-berdayakan-pangan-lokal/