Tanaoba Lais Manekat Consumer Cooperative (KK TLM-GMIT) is a business unit established and developed by TLM-GMIT to provide goods and service need for its members in order to improve the welfare of members’ family and society. The operational of KK TLM GMIT is based on family value, dependability value, responsibility value, democratic value, equality value, justice value, independent value and professionalism value.
KK TLM-GMIT was established on 26 August 2013, located in Ahmad Yani Street Number 43, urban-village of Oeba, sub-district of Kelapa Lima, Municipal of Kupang, Province of East Nusa Tenggara with Number of Act: 151/KEP/M.KUKM/XL/2010.

When being interviewed in her room on the beginning of this business, manager of KK TLM-GMIT, Jokobet Ully Rohi Bire explain that it started as convenient store to serve the need of its members who are staff of TLM Foundation, BPR TLM (TLM Bank) and KSP TLM (TLM Saving and Loan Cooperative). Apart from it, KK TLM also provide Fotocopy service to serve administrative need of TLM Group.

Futhermore, Jokebet or who is usually called Ibu Joke said that TLM Consumer Cooperative which has held two Annual Meeting is established by 22 Founding Member that consist of  TLM –GMIT Foundation Board Members. They are the ones who initiated to establish KK TLM at the same time became initial capital depositors for KK Business for amount of Rp. 50.250.000 as Principle Saving and Mandatory Saving.

In its development, TLM Consumer Cooperative has experienced significant growth, especially the growth of its asset. The total asset until 31 December 2017 is Rp. 7.286.897.729, sourced from Members’ Saving and Soft Loan from TLM Foundation, TLM Bank and TLM Saving and Loan Cooperative. Total of members keeps increasing. They are not only TLM Group staff but also people of Kupang and its surroundings. Until 31 December 2017, total number of active members are 814 people, and it will surely increase.

Business units of KK TLM are TLM Mart, foto copy center,  purchase credit of electronics and transportation, future saving, coffee shop, pig raising (livestock, transportation service (travel and truck). KK TLM also provide building material such sand, sandstone and crushed stone. KK TLM also improve its service by open the  Mart and Coffee shop for 24 hours every day.

KK TLM has created employment for 20 staffs who work every day. This is the contribution of TLM in providing employment to decrease the number of unemployed in NTT.

For the last few years, equity trend has increased by 122%, proving that stability of KK TLM and there is an annual external audit done by public accountant regularly since its establishment with appropriate valuation without exception.

KK TLM always maintain its service quality by paying attention to economy and technology development so it will be able to compete in current global economy competition

Not satisfy with its achievement, Jokobet with her team is planning to open a branch office in 2018, establish a pig livestock, improve goods sale on credit according to 1.207 members’ need. Aside from that, Jokobet also targets to raise the equity to Rp.199.142.688, raise staff salary and cooperate with Independent Auditor to conduct annual audit and also hold 2017 Year Book Annual Meeting before 31 March 2018.

As the leader of KK TL, Joke hopes “to make KK TLM as a cooperative that will keep growing properly by prioritizing quality service, keep innovating in its business to keep members and society’s trust. In the future, this cooperative will be able to expand its service so it can have strategic contribution in helping child education through Education Saving, hire more employee to fight poverty and unemployment and also to be the partner of its members to develop their business in order to increase members and society’s life standard.

While Mr. Rozali, one of KK TLM Founders, when being interviewed in his office stated “we hope that KK TLM can help church and society by engaging in business that provides congregation and village community’s principle need because this is  promising business”. He said.

28 prospective employees of TLM GMIT Saving and Loan Cooperative joined early training to become Account Officer (AO). They will be placing in KSP TLM branch offices that located in NTT, NTB and Central Sulawesi (Palu).

The participants in the training were recruited by Human Recourses Division of KSP TLM GMIT. The recruitment had been opened for young people in NTT since early January 2018 through some selection stages.

The recruitment will continue every business. The purpose of the recruitment is not just to fulfill institution need of staff but as a contribution from TLM GMIT in decreasing the amount of unemployment in NTT.  Until January 2018, total staffs of KSP TLM are 438 people and it will keep increasing.

Training section head, Jusuf Adoe, as main trainer of the training said that the training will last for 7 days, from 30 January to 08 February 2018. During the training, the participants were provided with some important materials such Introduction to Institution (TLM Group), Rules and Code of Conduct, Loan Manual of SeSaMa, and Future Saving Manual (Deposit). This training ended with a writing test. Whoever passes the test will be placed in branches to follow field training before starting contract period.

Jusuf explained that KSP TLM coordinates with TLM Foundation to give training related to Child Protection for the prospective. This is also a contribution from TLM to prevent and reduce child abuse that lately has been happening rampantly.

Shanty Penlaana Kock, one of the spokes person of the training stated that TLM is a social economy institution that have good partnership with foreign donors, is obligated to integrate each of its work program with donors’. One of the programs is children protection.

“the idea came from Uniting World. TLM cooperate with sponsor institutions that necessitate TLM as their partner to participate in child protection campaign. And I feel that it is really important for TLM staff because they meet and socialize with society, including children in field every day. So, by providing them adequate knowledge of child protection regulation, they will practice it in the field by themselves. Aside from that, we really hope that staff who already got the training will never practice child abuse whether in their work or in their daily life,” said Shanty.  

One of the prospective staff, Efraim Kadja Pau said that he is so happy with the training because they are prepared with some beneficial materials, not just work manual but also social material so they will be more ready to socialize with society.

“of course we are so happy with this training because we are taught how to protect children’s rights, to keep them away from many types of abuse, whether it is physical or physiological so they can freely play and study to grow as good nation’s next generation. So as a good staff, this material is a good provision for us to serve the public and also to protect ourselves and avoid child abuse in society,” said Efraim.  

Children Protection Training has been conducting since 2013. This training is for all KSP TLM and TLM foundation staff, whether old or new staff with a hope that whoever works in TLM can be the agent of children protection in public, started from their own family to help reducing child abuse that often occurs among society.

Nekmese village is one of 8 TLM Foundation assisted villages since 2017. This village is located in South Amarasi sub-district, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. According to its eighth village head, Krisma J. Baok, Nekmese was formed from 4 kingdoms, they are Naet, Koro Oto, Tuamese and Timo Foasa that later agreed to establish a village in 1971, and they named the village Nekmese which in Timorese means “one heart”.

Since elected as village head in 2012, Krisma, a father of 3 children, through a cooperation with Regional Government and Private Institution, they have been focusing on establishing Nekmese infrastructures from scratch, until now there are education institutions from PAUD (preschool), PPA (Children Development Center), elementary school, Junior High School and even Senior High School. There are also 2 towers of telecommunication provider (Telkomsel and Indosat), road access to farms, road hardening, road concreting and road paving, 3 unit of water dams, agriculture irrigation, 30 units of residential house, livestock group for each sub-village, electricity for all villagers, and clean water program.

Within this last 2 years, Krisma focuses more on increasing  the income of villagers by implementing a program called “Village Garden of Eden”, initiated by Mayor of Kupang, Ayub Titu Eki. But to succeed this program, Krisma and his garden community feel the lack of knowledge in in technique of proper, modern and useful   horticultural plants cultivation. This makes him finally cooperate with TLM Foundation to rearrange, assist in learning of cultivation technique, irrigation technique (garden irrigation), supply quality seeds,  plants treatment, crop and process the yields.

Since the beginning of 2017, TLM Foundation placed a facilitator in Nekmese to assist garden community in transforming 1,5 acre of unproductive land  into organic productive land and later planted it with organic horticultural plants like cos lettuce, spinach, water spinach, broccoli, cabbage, red cabbage,   eggplant, bitter melon, tomato, green bean, long yard bean, red onion (Tuk-tuk), red chili,  cayenne pepper, green bell, purple yam, cucumber, peanut, lemongrass, basil, banana, papaya and dragon fruits.

Aside from that, TLM Foundation also facilitates the garden with pipes and water tanks to irrigate water form spring to garden to help plants watering. This cooperation brings satisfaction. The place that was a steep shrub is now a garden with many types of horticultural plants; it is green and a good looking view just like a Garden of Eden and it also brings additional income for community members and even those around who make the garden as a sample garden for them and a place to learn.

Until the end of 2017, garden community member have successfully made 80 billion from selling 3.5 tons of red onion, tomato, chili peppers, and other horticultural plants. While biennial and perennial plants like banana, papaya and dragon fruits are targeted to be harvested in 2018. Elifas Bano, community leader of garden in Nekmese said that he is so grateful that TLM Foundation and village government have helped his village so they can have regular income to fulfill their needs and more than that, they can pay for their children’s education. “we used to earn from selling coconut and banana only, now we also plant  vegetables, tomato, chili pepper, and other plants to sell”. Said Elifas.

In other opportunity, Village head of Nekmese, Krisma J.Baok expressed his happiness of the success. “The office of the farmers is their garden. That is why as a leader, I have prepared infrastructures like road access to the garden and water location. They just need to utilize it properly. Of course we are so happy with this success because our livelihood has increased. We also hope that other villagers who have not joined our garden community will join later and then form their community in each sub-village to create other Gardens of Eden outside Nekmese. If it happened, I am sure that village community will be more prosperous”. He said.

This is a concern of TLM as a social empowerment institution for community of NTT, especially village community so they can use their natural resources for a better life.