Ms. Warsilah still vividly remembers how she used to lack the confidence to speak in public. In her daily life as a women farmer from Girijati, Gunungkidul, she recounts how her farming group was able to collaborate with humanitarian activists across the Asia-Pacific region, and how her group transformed its way of thinking to make decisions collectively.
In December 2025, Ms. Warsilah with other innovators to represent the Melati Women Farmers’ Group (KWT) from Watugajah, Girijati Village, Purwosari, Gunungkidul, on behalf of the YAKKUM Emergency Unit at the 2025 Regional Humanitarian Partnership Week (RHPW), a regional humanitarian conference themed ““Rethinking Humanity for a Changing World.” There, alongside community innovators from various countries in the Asia-Pacific region, he shared the story of the PAPAH MEWAH (Melati Watugajah Waste Management) initiative—a community-based waste management system that combines environmental protection efforts through the collection, sorting, and recycling of plastic waste with economic empowerment for its members.
Ms. Warsilah shared that the most memorable part was when she learned from other groups’ experiences regarding women’s leadership. She also explained how PAPAH MEWAH emerged from an idea, through discussions, and culminated in a collective decision-making process that involved vulnerable groups such as women, older people, people with disabilities, youth, and others.
The impact is clear, Melati Women Farmer Group continues to grow and has become a learning center in the village of Girijati. The land, which once relied on chemical fertilizers, is now gradually transitioning to organic farming.
“Local innovations born of shared consensus, of women’s voices and leadership, can serve as a lesson for the world,” said her. kata Bu Warsilah.
That compassion for others should not discriminate between those who are deserving and those who are not. That humanitarian aid is a matter of conscience, not merely a matter of procedure. For Warsilah, this value also guides how Melati works together to ensure that no one is left behind.
Ms. Warsilah noted that local innovations born of shared consensus, women’s voices, and women’s leadership can serve as a lesson for the humanitarian community.
