Yayasan Wahana Kria Putri

For more than 60 years, the tropical Indonesian island of Bali has been portrayed to the outside world as a heavenly paradise where a strong culture and sense of community protect its inhabitants from the rigors of the modern world. It is an image supported by many millions of dollars from the international hotel community, which provides luxury accommodation and facilities for nearly a million foreign visitors now traveling annually to the holiday island.

Yet behind the marketing hype lies another story – one that exists in stark contrast to the sun, sand and sea "dream". The truth is that the lives of Bali's 2.7 million local inhabitants are often marked by poverty, suffering and family strife. Balinese in rural areas are isolated hamlets living in abject poverty without roads, water, sanitation, adequate nutrition, health, education facilities and hope. In the urban areas prostitution and drug use are also becoming more common as an increasing number of girls are being pulled to the island’s booming trade in foreign tourists in the hope of better lives.
Furthermore, women make up the majority of the world's poor, as they often hold responsibilities for their families and many are left on their own to care for their children.

In response to the poverty in Bali, two indigenous women with the purpose of serving the grassroots Indonesian community founded the Wahana Kria Putri Foundation (WKP) on May 21, 1996 in Denpasar Bali. WKP was set up as a fully autonomous, indigenously staffed and governed organization, and sought to serve the community through the delivery of Micro Enterprise Development (MED) services to women. Specifically, WKP aims to reach low-income widows and women with families in rural areas, and unemployed with low education and street vendors in the urban areas.

On March 18, 1997, WKP joined the Duta Bina Bhuana (DBB) network, after that DBB network changed to be Jaringan Anugerah Indonesia (JAI) consisting of 16 Indonesian organizations focusing on MED but it was already closed. WKP also became a member of the Opportunity International (OI) Network, which currently includes 57 implementing organizations and 6 supporting organizations working in 28 countries and also became a member of Jaringan Lembaga untuk Akuntabilitas (JALA).

WKP's primary program is to develop family businesses through a methodology of women's group lending. However, WKP uses various lending methodologies for different circumstances in order to develop more effective and efficient lending program. The organization has found that the Trust Bank methodology for group lending called CIANDRI is most effective at the middle and lower levels of the poverty pyramid. In this method, micro-loans are disbursed to female members of a group (CIANDRI) in order to facilitate the development of sustainable businesses. Members of the group attend weekly meetings, make weekly payments and co-guarantee each other. Alternatively, it has been found that the provision of individual loans is more effective for people situated further up the poverty pyramid. This tiered approach to poverty alleviation ensures that each poor family experiences the maximum possible transformation according to their needs.

Examples of the businesses that have been created include animal breeders, traders, bakery and traditional food producers, craftswomen, garment and household equipment recycling manufacturer.

Although WKP focuses on loan assistance, they provide other services in order to enhance clients' business development. These include business technical training, management for developing the quality of life for women, guidance for group capital management and development of productive businesses. Others include transformation based on useful knowledge and the use of a group facilitator to build relationships with both private and government service resources.

In order to complement the economic development, WKP is also involved in community development, for example, the provision of public sanitation. These actions have the dual goals of improving the region’s hygiene, and motivating the local community to create a cleaner social environment. WKP also concerns itself with women and children’s health through their cooperation with the local public health centre.

WKP is run by intellectual women with broad experience, and a dedication and commitment to the vision and mission of the foundation.