Rumiyati, known to most people as Tinuk, is a community member of Banyutowo Village, Dukuhseti District, Pati Regency. Mrs. Tinuk is a retired nurse who is now a member of the Banyutowo Village Disaster Risk Reduction Forum. At a stage in life when many might choose to step back, Mrs.Tinuk sees her years of experience as a woman and a nurse not simply as memories from the past, but as a foundation for understanding, recognizing, and helping shape how her village prepares for disaster risks.
““I have always had a desire to help,” Mrs. Tinuk says.
For her, helping others has never been just part of a job. It has been a way of life. As a nurse, she held onto a simple principle: to live is to serve others. Whenever people needed healthcare, she would help, regardless of whether they could afford it. That same spirit led her to volunteer as a health worker after the 2006 Bantul earthquake, provide monthly health check-ups for older people members of her church, and mobilize women in her church community to prepare meals for families affected by COVID-19.
Today, that same spirit of service has found a new home in the DRR Forum. Mrs. Tinuk believes women have an important role to play in disaster preparedness, including in decisions about how their village responds to risk. In her opinion, women often have a different way of understanding what people need.
“Women need to be present and take an active role. Sometimes, people need more than just assistance; they need someone who is willing to listen and embrace them. And women often have that space to offer,” she said.
Yet Mrs. Tinuk knows that the journey of the Banyutowo DRR Forum is still long. Disaster preparedness education has not yet reached everyone in the community. She hopes the DRR Forum can help close that gap by reaching more people, building wider connections, and earning the community’s trust.
“I hope that through the Banyutowo DRR Forum, health and disaster preparedness education can reach more people, especially those who have not yet been reached. By carrying the name of Banyutowo DRR Forum, I also hope people will have greater trust and feel more comfortable receiving information and sharing their needs.”
From her years of service as a nurse to her involvement in the DRR Forum, Tinuk continues to carry the same commitment: a desire to serve. The difference is that today, she is not only caring for people’s health, but also nurturing a community’s awareness of the risks it faces.
In Banyutowo, women’s leadership does not always take the form of titles or major decisions. Sometimes, it grows from the willingness to listen, the courage to speak up, and the determination to remain present when others need help. For Tinuk, caring and leading meet at the same point: making sure that no one has to face risk alone.