Analisis kebutuhan pemberdayaan ibu rumah tangga miskin melalui usaha kerajinan tangan khas Gorontalo 'Mohalamu Tiohu'

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kebutuhan pemberdayaan ibu rumah tangga miskin melalui usaha kerajinan tangan khas Gorontalo yang dikenal dengan “Mohalamu Tiohu” atau anyaman mendong sebagai upaya pendampingan. Metode yang digunakan adalah Participatory Action Research (PAR) melalui observasi dan Focused Group Discussion (FGD). Hasil temuan diperoleh permasalahan yang dihadapi adalah pengetahuan tentang desain produk dan pemasaran masih sangat terbatas, usahanya masih bersifat industri rumah, padahal mereka tergolong terampil dalam membuat berbagai jenis kerajinan tangan dalam jumlah banyak, tidak memiliki modal usaha, penghasilannya tidak sebanding dengan waktu dan tenaganya, padahal sifat bahan baku mudah didapatkan dan mampu mengikuti trend dengan teknik dasar menganyam yang hanya dapat dilakukan secara manual. Untuk pengembangannya diperlukan adanya pembinaan secara berkala dan pemberian modal usaha secara merata kepada semua kelompok pengrajin ibu rumah tangga miskin, mempatenkan hasil karya dan menggalakkan kecintaan masyarakat terhadap kerajinan tersebut. The need analysis of poor housewives empowerment in the development of Gorontalo special handicraft business “Mohalamu Tiohu” Abstract This study aims to analyze the needs of poor housewives through the development of Gorontalo’s special handicraft product design which is well known as “Mohalamu Tiohu” or mendong (Fimbrystlis Globulosa) plait as the guidance effort. The method used in this research was Participatory Action Research (PAR) through the observation and Focused Group Discussion (FGD). Based on the finding of this research, the problems faced by craftsman were the limited knowledge about product design and marketing, the problem that the business still in home business scale, there was no enough venture capital, the income was not comparable with the time and effort that they used. This fact was very ironic where the raw material was very easy to be found and also it was able to follow the current trend by using plait basic technique which could only be done manually. For the business development, it was urgently needed the continual guidance and the giving of venture capital evenly to the all craftsman group of poor housewives. Besides that, it was important to the craftsman to have patent and improved public love to their craft product.