"GEDSI's knowledge provides participants with a deeper understanding of the concept of inclusive development, so that hopefully the concept of sustainable development that involves all aspects and all groups can be realised."

The issue of mainstreaming Gender, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) needs to be integrated in the planning process until the implementation of a programme in every institution. This knowledge aims to encourage the birth of programmes and policies at the government level that are more inclusive so as to involve various layers of groups, including the Suku Anak Dalam (SAD) community group in village development programmes.

Realising this, Pundi Sumatra sees the need for a common viewpoint between key stakeholders who will be involved in the implementation of the SAD empowerment programme along the Trans Sumatra road. Equalising viewpoints is important in integrating the GEDSI issue in the implementation of the programme so as to design policies that favour this indigenous group.

Pundi Sumatra through the Partnership encourages the involvement of key multi-stakeholders by increasing the capacity of GEDSI in Pundi Sumatra's assisted locations, namely Sarolangun Regency (27/02/2024) and Bungo Regency (26/03/2024) to participate in empowering the Suku Anak Dalam (SAD) community. The activities included in the ESTUNGKARA program involved the Regional Apparatus Organisation (OPD) in order to realise the empowerment program.

Increasing the Capacity of Gedsi in Sarolangun Regency

Sarolangun District was the first location of the activity. The event was attended by representatives of the Social Affairs Office, Community and Village Empowerment Office (PMD), Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Office (P3A), Communication and Informatics Office (Kominfo), Bathin VIII Sub-District Head, Village Facilitator Coordinator, Sukajadi Village Head, Pulau Lintang Village Head, Lurah Limbur Tembesi, Indonesian Red Cross, and Village Empowerment Board (BPD/LPM) of each village as well as SAD representatives from each SAD rombong in 3 villages.

The activity was opened directly by Mrs Hj. Maria Susanti, S.E., as PLT Head of Bappeda Sarolangun Regency. In his remarks, he said that every institution must pay attention to inclusive policies.

"GEDSI's knowledge provides participants with a deeper understanding of the concept of inclusive development, so that hopefully the concept of sustainable development that involves all aspects and all groups can be realised."

This GEDSI training presented two resource persons to provide GEDSI materials to the participants. Mr Mohamad Adhim, S.IP. M.E. as a Sarolangun District village community group practitioner was present as one of the speakers. In his material, Mr Adhim said that GEDSI equality is an important foundation for achieving sustainable development targets. In addition, GEDSI also has several benefits for development, such as inclusive infrastructure development, infrastructure utilisation by cross-groups without discrimination, the application of GEDSI in the energy sector, and inclusive development that benefits all parts of society.

"Making GEDSI in every aspect of service is a challenge of sustainable development. Therefore, we must all endeavour to overcome the problem of gender inequality in the scope of our duties and functions by using the GEDSI perspective as a whole," she said.

After the presentation, the participants were given a deeper understanding of GEDSI implementation by Wenny Ira, an academic from Nurdin Hamzah University in Jambi. In her session, Wenny used a group discussion method to identify the potential and constraints in the village in order to design a strategy that suits the needs.

"This step will be the basis for an action plan that can be used in problem solving," he said. Participants were divided into small groups to map the potential and constraints in their villages. They had intensive discussions to identify existing assets and constraints. Together, participants identified concrete steps that could be taken to realise inclusive villages. They developed action plans that covered various aspects of development, from economic to social. With this training, it is hoped that the participants will have an increased understanding and a common perspective on GEDSI, and that a more inclusive programme or policy at the village level will be developed with the involvement and equitable development of marginalised groups.

Increasing The Capacity Of Gedsi In Bungo District

A few weeks after holding an activity in Sarolangun, on 26 March 2024 Bungo Regency became the second location for GEDSI capacity building activities. The activity, which took place at the Pelepat sub-district office hall, was attended by various parties including village officials, BPD, community leaders, village midwives, Pelepat sub-district representatives, Pelepat KUA representatives, and representatives from the Suku Anak Dalam Dwi Karya Bakti community.

On 26 March 2024, at the office hall of Pelepat sub-district, Bungo, a GEDSI capacity building activity for key stakeholders was held. The activity was attended by various parties, including village officials, BPD, youth community leaders, village midwives, representatives from Pelepat sub-district, representatives from Pelepat KUA, and representatives from the Suku Anak Dalam Dwi Karya Bakti community, with a total of 21 participants.

The activity began with the delivery of material by Mr Yos Army as a village and community practitioner, on understanding the concept of GEDSI and its implementation in village planning. The material covered important aspects such as child protection, prevention of sexual violence against children, and the role of stakeholders in realising GEDSI in the context of village planning.

The next step was a village development planning simulation facilitated by Riya Dharma as the second resource person. In this simulation, participants were actively involved in designing village development programmes that consider the GEDSI perspective. The simulation process involved discussions, analyses, and the preparation of action plans in a participatory manner. Participants were given the opportunity to share ideas, thoughts, and experiences related to the application of the GEDSI concept in the real context of Dwi Karya Bakti Hamlet.

One interesting highlight is the GEDSI mainstreaming practices that have been carried out in Dusun Dwi Karya Bakti, where the village government has actively involved representatives from minority and disability communities in the village development planning deliberation process, as well as accepting proposals submitted by the Suku Anak Dalam community.

The activity went smoothly and ended with an in-depth reflection and evaluation session to evaluate participants' understanding and identify the next steps that need to be taken. This is a crucial step in ensuring that the GEDSI concept can be effectively and sustainably implemented in village planning and development.

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