Aceh – Indonesia, Despite Pidie Regency Qanun Number 4 of 2024 on the Protection and Fulfillment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities being passed by the Pidie DPRK and enacted on November 25, 2024, the development policies, budget, and programs of the Pidie Regency Government show no real commitment to fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities.
sinarpidie.co — Mahdalena, 44, a resident of Gampong Paya, Pidie District, was packing customer orders at a 4 x 10 meter shophouse located on the side of the Banda Aceh-Medan National Highway in Gampong Lampeudue Tunong, Pidie District, Pidie, on Tuesday afternoon, September 29, 2026.
Living with a physical disability, she rents the shophouse for IDR 15 million every two years. In that very shop, Mahdalena runs an online store named All Olhsop. Through this online shop, she sells various goods, including cakes, clothing, water bottles, shallots, and chili peppers.
“Sometimes I sell five products a day. Other times, none at all. But it’s enough to pay the shophouse rent,” said the 2000 graduate of MAN 1 Sigli, Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
Initially, Mahdalena bought items from several e-commerce platforms, shops in Banda Aceh, and stores in Lhokseumawe City.
“Then, I resell those items through social media posts on TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Transactions are made via bank transfer or cash if the items are picked up directly at the shop,” she said. “If a buyer is interested in an item I post on social media, I deliver it directly to them using a motorcycle. But that’s only for buyers located nearby.”
Amid her busy schedule, she also leads the Inclusive Community Self-Help Group (KSM) of Gampong Paya Sejahtera. Established in 2018, the group currently has 24 members, six of whom are women with disabilities.
“The group’s agenda includes holding regular monthly meetings at the hall in front of my house and collecting monthly dues of IDR 20,000 per member. In recent years, the monthly dues have stalled because members’ businesses are not performing well. They lack the income to pay,” said Mahdalena.
Additionally, Mahdalena added, through the KSM Inklusi Gampong Paya Sejahtera, her team advocates for and raises public awareness regarding the rights of persons with disabilities.
“We once held a community meeting at the Gampong Paya meunasah. During the meeting, we urged parents with disabled children not to be afraid to acknowledge their children’s disabilities and not to keep them hidden at home. Children with disabilities must go out and play like other children,” Mahdalena stated.
She further mentioned that another priority for the group is advocating for accessible public facility development that caters to persons with disabilities and vulnerable women.
“Such as providing wheelchairs in public spaces and handrails for women with disabilities and elderly women. This remains a challenge as accessible public facilities in Pidie are still extremely scarce,” Mahdalena said.
Members of this group run various types of enterprises, including cake making, melinjo cracker production, tailoring, online selling, and catering services. “The capital for these diverse businesses mostly comes from member contributions managed through a savings and loan scheme,” she explained.
Currently, the KSM Inklusi Paya Sejahtera she leads has transformed into the Paya Sejahtera Inclusive Cooperative. “This cooperative is already registered with the Disperindagkop-UKM of Pidie Regency,” Mahdalena remarked.
Mahdalena hopes the government will provide capital support, training, and production equipment for the members of the Paya Sejahtera Inclusive Cooperative.
KSM Inklusi Paya Sejahtera, now the Paya Sejahtera Inclusive Cooperative, is one of dozens of groups assisted by the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Center for Community Activity, Social, and Economic Development of Aceh (PASKA).
Executive Director of PASKA Aceh, Farida Haryani, stated that disabled people in Pidie not only lack access to disability-friendly public facilities, but also lack access to business capital through micro-credit schemes (KUR) from banks operating in Pidie or from Pegadaian.
“Banks are hesitant to grant micro-loans to persons with disabilities because they assume disabled individuals won’t be able to pay the installments,” Farida said, Friday, October 2, 2026.
According to Farida, after the enactment of Pidie Regency Qanun Number 4 of 2024 on the Protection and Fulfillment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on November 25, 2024, the Pidie Regency Government, through its Industry, Trade, Cooperatives, and SMEs Agency (Disperindagkop-UKM), once budgeted and disbursed financial aid for inclusive self-help groups in Pidie worth IDR 20 million per group.
“That budget was allocated for two years, namely in 2024 and 2025. However, in 2026, it is reported that the allocation no longer exists under the pretext of budget constraints,” Farida explained. “Baitul Mal should also prioritize capital assistance for businesses run by persons with disabilities.”
The Pidie Vocational Training Center (BLK), a Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) under the Pidie Manpower and Transmigration Office (Disnakertrans), also lacks inclusive vocational training programs for people with disabilities.
Head of UPTD BLK Pidie, Muhammad Rizal, said BLK Pidie only became active on May 1, 2026. “The primary focus of this training center is job training for school dropouts. However, so far, we have never restricted participants from taking part in training, whether they have disabilities or not,” Muhammad Rizal stated, Friday, October 2, 2026.
The available training courses include computer assembly, graphic design, bread and pastry making, as well as crafting traditional kopiah riman and kopiah meukutob caps.
“The training duration varies, ranging from 18 to 25 days. Registration for the training is opened online,” Rizal said. []
This report was produced in collaboration with the Indonesia Foundation for Justice and Peace (YKPI).