The financial training empowers a woman entrepreneur: The story of Delila Utan

Repeatedly refused early-age marriage arrangements, a woman entrepreneur in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has become more independent after a financial management training, supported by ILO as part of the UN joint programme.

News | East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia | 19 January 2022
Delila Utan, a 35-year-old entrepreneur from Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is busy recording her daily income and expenses. She carefully records the production and sales of her cashew plantation and retail business, calculating her monthly net income. "Prior to this, I had difficulty managing my business because I solely relied on my instinct and did not keep any financial records," said Delila.

Delila Utan
Delila was one of the 16 participants participating at the Entrepreneurship and Access to Financial Institutions Training, conducted by the Employment and Livelihood project in collaboration with Perkumpulan Pondok Pergerakan last June. The training was part of a joint programme implemented by four United Nations (UN) agencies, including ILO, in Indonesia and funded by the UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UN MPTF).

For five days, Delila learned about the basic principles of financial management for entrepreneurs that include selling price and calculation production cost, depreciation and bookkeeping. During the training she also learned root causes of her financial problems that put her in the brink of bankruptcy.

I never thought that I can realize my dream to be an entrepreneur. The financial knowledge that I obtain during the training makes me more confident in building my business and in living my life peacefully."

Delila Utan, a 35-year-old entrepreneur from Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT)
“I managed my finances thinking that I just need to keep the money circulating,” she said. As a result, when she got robbed and her operational car got damaged in the accident, Delila had to withdraw money for her saving account. “I did not have a financial record and when I had to deal with those unfortunate incidents, I had to use my saving. I almost lost my business,” she added.

Delila started her business when she returned from working as a migrant worker in Malaysia after more than ten years. To avoid an arranged married when she was 15 years old in 2001, she signed in for a job in Malaysia. After attending a series of trainings in Jakarta, she left and worked for three years in Malaysia.

Upon arriving home, she learnt that her family still pursued the marriage arrangement. She then decided to return to her employer in Malaysia for another five years until 2009. Every month she transferred her income to build a house. When she learnt that the marriage arrangement still awaited her, she decided to go back to Malaysia for the third time.

“This time I decided to save my income to develop my own business,” she exclaimed.

Bookkeeping as a tool for financial review is a foundation for small businesses to survive the pandemic."

Navitri Putri Guillame, ILO's Project Officer for the Employment and Livelihoods Project
When she returned home, she started her business by raising and selling cows. After four years, she bought a cashew plantation. Unfortunately, the marriage arrangement still haunted Delila. Amid developing her plantation business, she learnt that the man she betrothed still pursuing a marriage.

Again, she decided to return to Malaysia for the fourth time. She came back in 2016 and started enhancing her business by purchasing an operational car. She also began to expand her business by selling staple goods and woven fabrics.

“I never thought that I can realize my dream to be an entrepreneur. The financial knowledge that I obtain during the training makes me more confident in building my business and in living my life peacefully,” she added.

Navitri Putri Guillame, ILO's Project Officer for the Employment and Livelihoods Project, stated that the entrepreneurship and financial inclusion training programme aim to assist small businesses enhancing their business operations. “Bookkeeping as a tool for financial review is a foundation for small businesses to survive the pandemic,” she added.