Jakarta, April 29th 2020. PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) continues to develop the Sisternet program that focuses on increasing the ability of Indonesian women in the digital age. The purpose of this program is also to further maximize Sisternet's ability to reach women in all walks of life, XL Axiata is creating digital applications that makes it easier for anyone to access all of the Sisternet's programs. The Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection of Indonesia (known in Indonesia as; PPPA), Bintang Puspayoga together with President Director & CEO of XL Axiata, Dian Siswarini, launched the online Sisternet application in Jakarta, on Wednesday (19/4).
President Director & CEO of XL Axiata, Dian Siswarini said, “with this application, Indonesian women wherever they might be, will have easier access to the Sisternet programs. Throughout the year, Sisternet has held many activities, especially educational activities regarding the various needs of women, ranging from financial management, building their own business, increasing expertise, and parenting. Most of these activities are still held offline in many cities. With this application, all Sisternet program materials can be accessed easily everywhere and anytime.”
Meanwhile, The Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA), Bintang Puspayoga stated, “We greatly appreciate the Sisternet application, which aims to reduce the gap between women and men in the use of information technology, including internet in Indonesia. PT XL Axiata, Tbk, through the Sisternet application, is an example of real contribution of the business world to participate in supporting and moving forward together with government programs for the progress of Indonesia and its’ people.”
Bintang added to the statement, “We hope that the Sisternet application can be a source of inspiration, not only for Indonesian women, but also for other businesses to be able to bring forth innovations that can support the development of women empowerment and child protection in Indonesia.”
According to Dian Siswarini, Sisternet application can be downloaded through Google Playstore for Android phones and App Store for iPhone. The application have been on preparation stages for 5 months and would contain various programs and agendas that are categorized into 3 feature segments, namely, Sister Sharing, Sharing Agenda, and Smart Modules (Sister Berbagi, Agenda Berbagi, dan Modul Pintar). In the Sister Sharing segment (Sister Berbagi), there will be a collection of inspiring articles that could help motivate the women of Indonesia to be more independent and empowered. Up until now, Sisternet contains over 12 thousand articles. The Sharing Agenda (Agenda Berbagi) segment will present educational classes that teaches various digital skills, a how to program about getting inspired, and classes on how to network. These classes can be accessed free of charge.
Meanwhile, in the Smart Modules segment, educational modules are available in audio-visual format on a variety of topics taught by field experts. There are currently around 40 audio-visual modules available about digital parenting, career, entrepreneurship, and financial management. The Smart Module (Modul Pintar) is the segment that have been accessed the most by the public on the Sisternet official website (Sisternet.co.id).
During the application development stage, there were a number of features that were being prepared, including the Forum Portal in the form of a discussion forum between women within SME (Small & Medium Enterprises). Also, there is the Media Podcast which provides various inspirational audio information and materials. There is also the Panic Button feature, as a means to prevent violence against women and children. To provide the Panic Button feature, Sisternet works closely with the PPPA Ministry. In the future, Sisternet will also provide various online marketing training for women of small businesses in 5 provinces together with the Ministry of Women & Child Protection (PPPA) and its’ Partners in an effort to increase digital literacy in the economic field.
Prior to this current release, Sisternet carried out more of its’ programs offline in various cities, including cities outside of Java. Sisternet members in various regions would access programs through the Sisternet website (Sisternet.co.id). The official website has quite a lot of visitors. Last March of 2020, there were over 50 thousand page viewers. The high number of users accessing the Sisternet website was one of the considerations for XL Axiata to build the Sisternet application.
“With the application, the community, especially women can easily access the Sisternet programs by using their smartphone. They wouldn’t have to use a computer to get a clearer page view. Now, Sisternet has two digital channels to deliver its programs" said Dian.
Launched for the first time on April 23rd 2015, Sisternet now has over 23 thousand members. To continue increasing the value of Indonesian women, Sisternet has cooperated with various communities and organizations for women, as well as collaborating with many social activists in various regions. In addition, Sisternet is also actively cooperating with a number of government agencies, in addition to the Ministry of Women & Child Protection (PPPA), Sisternet also partners with the Ministry of Communication and Information, the Ministry of Transportation, the Village Ministry, along with The Development Program of Disadvantaged Areas and Transmigration, and the Ministry of Health.
Women Against Pandemic
According to the framework of launching the Sisternet application, XL Axiata held a Share Care Inspire Class webinar session that was open for public access entitled "Covid-19 and Digitalisation; The New Way for Women Against Pandemic". The event, which was held online, presented female leaders who were already well-known to the people of Indonesia, which included the PPPA Minister, Bintang Puspayoga, President Director & CEO of XL Axiata, Dian Siswarini, celebrity in the world of arts, Dian Sastrowardoyo, as well as medical practitioner, Dr. Reisa Broto Asmoro, along with Becky Tumewu as moderator.
This class, among others, discussed about how to understand the character of the virus with complete and relevant information of understanding, and terms that emerged during the Covid-19 outbreak. The webminar also discussed how to address the stigma of "Online” as the new normal, a woman at home or at the office. Other than these issues, there were also discussions on the extent of support from women leaders of various sectors in overcoming and dealing with the problem of the Covid-19 pandemic.