YSEALI Fall 2015 - Achmad Fathul Iman:

Achmad Fathul Iman Photo
Participant Name: Achmad Fathul Iman
Project Location: Jombang, Indonesia
Program: Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI)
Term: Fall 2015
Project Title: DifabelMall.com
UConn GTDI Project Award: Application Accepted & Funding Awarded

 

Iman is passionate about providing new opportunities for people with special needs by providing them with job training, leadership education, and financial management. Created by combining the words "different" and "ability," difabel is used as a positive term to describe people with special needs. Working to empower difabel people through education and skills training, Iman actively searches for new partnerships with local artisans, NGOs and other organizations also passionate about changing the lives of difabel people. He works on the DifabelMall.com website by creating new product listings and providing photos and descriptions of each handicraft. Iman used the grant award funding to purchase equipment and materials used to make handicrafts. 

Five-Year Project Goals:

  • Empower difabel people by increasing their independence through job training, leadership education, and financial management
  • Export products across Indonesia and throughout the world
  • Expand the organization's mission to provide skills training to people in prison to rehabilitate them and help prepare them for reintegration into society

 

Organization Information: DifabelMall.com

Website: DifabelMall.com

DifabelMall.com is a online marketplace selling handmade products made by difabel people. The organization teaches job and leadership skills, as well as financial management to difabel people, while also teaching them how to make handicrafts to sell online and in local stores in the Jombang community. DifabelMall.com partners with local artisans to teach difabel people how to make traditional clothes called Batik and other handmade items. Learning job skills helps to empower difabel people by allowing them to achieve a higher level of independence.