Aided by an Australian NGO Cooperation Program-funded study, Opportunity International Australia and its partner, Financial Service provider, Koperasi Mitra Dhuafa (KOMIDA), aims to change all that.

In collaboration with Terala Foundation and MicroSave Consulting, KOMIDA used focus groups to explore the financial needs and intersectional barriers faced by women with disability.

Findings revealed that digital financial services can significantly improve access, especially through features like digital account opening, screen readers, and text-to-speech functionality.

For Rohanah, who lost a leg at a young age, a loan from KOMIDA helped her set up her food stall in West Java. Rising at 2:00am each morning, she prepares nasi uduk, a traditional coconut rice dish, along with a variety of condiments, including fried chicken from her own farm, tempe (soybean cake), and bala-bala (vegetable fritters).

Through her entrepreneurial efforts, Rohanah has achieved financial stability and funded her children’s education. Today, they are employed and contribute to the family, demonstrating the powerful ripple effect one individual can have on their community.

“I use loans and business profits to secure my future, not for leisure,” said Rohanah. “The loans help me grow my business — I’ve renovated my premises, bought two motorbikes, and used the profits to support my children’s education, now that they’ve finished vocational school. I have managed to create savings and occasionally draw on them to further develop my business when needed.”

KOMIDA currently has 913,605 clients and 885,360 active borrowers, including 17,259 women with disability.