Halal Bihalal: Aruna’s Commitment to Empower and Closely Interact with Indonesian Fishers

After the celebration of Eid al-Fitr 1444 H, Aruna held a gathering and a grand halal bihalal by inviting all Aruna Fishers in Paciran, East Java, on Friday, 19 May 2023. Brought about the theme of “Getting Closer to Create Togetherness” was attended by a number of stakeholders, namely the Head of the Marine and Fisheries Service (DKP) of East Java Province that was represented by Mrs. Ardiani Mariasari as the Fisher Analyst, Head of Paciran Village that was represented by Mr. Wafudin Zaki, S.Sos as the Village Secretary, and Mr. Toha Muslich, one of the fisheries officers in Lamongan Regency.

The halal bihalal agenda attended by hundreds of fishers in Paciran also became a platform where the representative from DKP East Java Province announced a number of programs crafted by the government for the fishers. Aruna also provided some information about the benefits fishers could get by joining Aruna. Not only would Aruna Fishers get educational programs about sustainable fisheries, financial literacy, and technology, but they would also be informed and get direct access to government programs for Indonesian fishers, such as KUSUKA and Pas Kecil.

These activities aimed to maintain the good relationship that Aruna and Aruna Fishers have. The increase in income that has been experienced by many Aruna Fishers in various regions in Indonesia becomes a very strong foundation for Aruna to invite more fishers to join its ecosystem.  On the same agenda, Aruna handed over donations for the children of the Karangasem Paciran Islamic Boarding School Foundation Orphanage, Lamongan. The donation was representatively received by the Chairman of the Foundation, Drs H. Ahmad Amin, M.Pd. 

Utari Octavianty, Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer of Aruna, stated, “Our focus now is on how we can make an even bigger impact, but without forgetting what we’ve already started. It’s not an easy responsibility, but with a routine agenda like this, we believe that we can definitely get closer to our own fishers. Hopefully, we will help more Indonesian fishers by improving their welfare and knowledge.”

Closing the agenda, Mrs. Ardiani Mariasari, the Fisher Analyst representing the Head of DKP East Java Province, added, “It’s great that seven years ago, three young people shared the same dream and a step at a time, the dreams are all coming true. There is still a long way to go, indeed, but their consistency surely deserves some appreciation. With the presence of Aruna, not only fishers were helped, but related agencies and stakeholders also felt so. Aruna also becomes our platform in disseminating programs that the government has designed for the fishers in Indonesia. Hopefully, their initiatives can bring more blessings to us.”