Lean Experimentation
Solutions Lab

Through lean experimentation, Kopernik’s Solutions Lab team aims to determine which ideas work - or do not work - in solving the common challenges faced by low income communities. For example, the prototyping process for our honey filters initially involved a small group of honey collectors. Subsequently, based on early results which were promising, the East Flores Regency’s local government office for cooperatives — the DINAS Koperasi — commissioned Kopernik for 10 honey filters, enabling more farmers to access this technology.

A similar prototyping process was adopted fo the “Perfect Fit” reusable menstrual pad where we continued to improve the product through three iterations, collecting user feedback to guide the improvement of the design following a human-centered design approach.

EXPERIMENTATION HIGHLIGHTS

Honey Filter

Working with a group of forest honey collectors in East Flores, we developed a K-Honey Filter prototype designed to improve the honey extraction process in order to increase honey production. Our data showed that by using the K-Honey Filter, a forest honey collector can earn US$37 in additional income per 39 kg of honey collected. We will be continuing the prototyping and testing process of new designs in 2019.

REUSABLE MENSTRUAL PADS

With support from Grand Challenges Canada and Simavi, we kicked off a project to develop and test affordable reusable menstrual pads for women and girls in Ruteng, East Manggarai, using the product development process as an entry point to open up a dialogue about menstrual health. The project is a follow-up to Kopernik’s small-scale randomized control trial (RCT) in 2017 that evaluated the link access to menstrual products and the attendance of schoolgirls in Sumba. In 2019, we will increase our reach, experimenting with sales strategies to distribute 22,000 pads to around 5,500 people.

GRAIN STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Since 2017, Kopernik has been experimenting with grain storage solutions for farmers in the last mile, comparing the efficacy between the traditional method of storing grain in a woven plastic sack, hermetic plastic bags and hermetically-sealed plastic drums to prevent weevil infestation. Last year, we worked with an agronomist to test the addition of diatomaceous earth (DE) as a natural pesticide. The experiment found that the application of DE to grain during storage can reduce the number of weevils by 98 percent, while also acting as a dehumidifier, which is important in preventing aflatoxin contamination.

We secured funding for seven experimentation projects, which will be implemented in 2019:

“(Making the reusable pads) has been like a fun homework for us. Every night before we sleep, I help my wife to cut the patterns while watching TV, so in the morning my wife can sew all of the fabric with her sewing machine. I really appreciate this initiative because now I have a reliable source of income to pay for the tuition fees of my children.”

- Thomas Riwu, the husband of Ibu Yohana, one of the tailors in Ruteng, East Manggarai working with Kopernik to make reusable menstrual pads.

Experimentation with Clients
Last Mile Consulting

Last Mile Consulting (LMC) is Kopernik’s professional advisory service working with corporate and public sector clients who are exploring innovative products or services that serve the needs of communities in emerging markets. In 2018 the consulting team carried out several notable projects, including the Integrated Community and Home Protection (ICHP) initiative with Unilever and the Unmet Needs research study.

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multinational corporations, multilateral agencies, social enterprises, and international organizations engaged Kopernik’s Last Mile Consulting (LMC) team in 2018.

KEY PROJECTS

IDENTIFYING THE UNMET NEEDS OF FARMERS

With support from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, Kopernik conducted a research study to identify the challenges of smallholder farmers in the agricultural value chain in Papua, West Papua and West Kalimantan. The findings from the Unmet Needs 2018 Papua Kalimantan research were shared with civil society organizations, farmers’ groups, and government officials through workshops in Sanggau, West Kalimantan and Jayapura, Papua.

IDENTIFYING AND MATCHING GREEN TECHNOLOGY NEEDS

Kopernik partnered with WIPO GREEN to identify clean technology needs in Indonesia and Cambodia focusing on the energy, air, water, and agriculture sectors and to match the needs with corresponding available green technologies. The project, which was financially supported by the Australian Government and WIPO Asia Pacific, identified 20 needs and was successful in matching several seekers and providers, including a dew water harvester with the Bali-based Green School. Kopernik also co-hosted a ‘matchmaking’ event at the Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2018 in Manila, Philippines on 4 June 2018.

STRENGTHENING MOSQUITO CONTROL IN MYANMAR

Protection against mosquito-borne disease remains challenging in regions of Myanmar where government initiatives have not yet reached. Kopernik partnered with TRANSFORM, a joint initiative of Unilever and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development, to develop and test market-based solutions for improved mosquito control in Myanmar. Through focus group discussions, home-user tests, and pilot sales involving more than 400 participants in urban and rural Myanmar, Unilever and Kopernik gathered insights for potential product adoption in the Myanmar market.

EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF MARKET SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

In partnership with the DFAT-funded PRISMA (Promoting Rural Income through Support for Markets in Agriculture) program, Kopernik evaluated the impact of PRISMA’S market development training program for government officials in five provinces: East Java, East and West Nusa Tenggara, Papua and West Papua. The training program is a part of PRISMA’s roadmap to foster partnerships between the department of agriculture and private sector players in supporting market development for agricultural commodities.

Last Mile Distribution

Kopernik works with corporate partners, civil society organizations, and local governments in connecting underserved communities with access to products and services needed to address their unmet needs. Throughout 2018, we distributed clean energy technologies to remote areas such as East Nusa Tenggara and Maluku, delivered life-saving emergency supplies to families affected by major disasters in Bali, Lombok and Central Sulawesi, and provided skills training for women entrepreneurs in East Java to grow their businesses.

Central Kalimantan

  • Daily use of the Signify solar lighting reduced the cost of purchasing kerosene from IDR 154,200 to IDR 12,100 per month.
  • 76% of technology users reported at least one extended night time activity thanks to the solar home system.

Maluku

  • Daily use of the Signify solar lighting reduced the cost of purchasing kerosene from IDR 59,800 to IDR 13,500 per month.
  • There was a perceived 18% reduction in breathing problems.
  • 32% of users reported at least one extended night time activity thanks to the solar home system.
“Kopernik has a good vision and better understanding of how to provide support to poor and vulnerable communities....The program has successfully improved productivity and social cohesion of the targeted beneficiaries. We look forward to working with Kopernik in the future.”

- Ruddy Gobel, Chief of Communications and Partnership, The National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K).

Lombok Emergency Response

Nearly 400,000 people in Lombok were displaced from their homes after a series of earthquakes ranging 5.0-7.0 in magnitude shook the island in August 2018. Kopernik supported affected communities in Sembalun Bumbung, East Lombok; Salut, North Lombok; as well as Ban, Karangasem, Bali.

Kopernik distributed basic supplies such as rice, cooking utensils, and tarps as well as:

  • 54 water tanks
  • 947 reconstruction kits
  • 1,100 shelter kits
  • 1,100 pairs of boots
  • 1,114 hygiene kits
  • 2,500 water filters

Kopernik, with its partners, also conducted 37 hygiene and nutrition promotion sessions and constructed:

  • 20 emergency latrines
  • 22 temporary bamboo dwellings
  • 5 temporary schools

31,315 people reached

Palu Emergency Response

More than 220,000 people in Central Sulawesi were displaced from their homes and struggled to get access to basic supplies after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami devastated parts of the province on 28 September 2018. Certain areas were also hit by liquefaction.

In 2018, in partnership with Mosintuwu Institute and SKP-HAM.
Kopernik distributed:

  • 443 solar lights
  • 628 water filters

Kopernik also delivered various emergency food and non-food items, and supported 91 public kitchens in Palu, Sigi, and Donggala.

Our Emergency Response activities in Palu, Sigi and Donggala continued well into 2019.

35,225 people reached

Sunda Strait Tsunami Emergency Response

A tsunami in the Sunda Strait hit parts of Lampung and Banten on the evening of 22 December 2018, displacing more than 5,500 people in the area.

In partnership with Humanitarian Forum Indonesia (HFI), Kopernik distributed:

  • 500 water filters
  • 500 solar lights
  • 500 family kits

2,000 people reached

0 new vendor relationships established

0% average net profit increase


Beyond Numbers

  • Kustini, a ‘wonder woman’ who works as a batik artisan in Tuban, received intellectual property rights for five of her batik patterns from the National Craft Council.
  • With access to wider markets, Anna Nurhayati, a ‘wonder woman’ who runs a emping girut (arrowroot chips) business in Bojonegoro, was able to generate enough income to buy raw materials directly from farmers, cutting through the middlemen who used to dominate the market with low rates. This has resulted in both the farmers and Anna getting a better deal.
  • A group of Wonder Women in Bojonegoro formed a community group to exchange their experiences. The group has now evolved into a semi-formal entity (Paguyuban) which pools some of the profits of the women entrepreneurs and offers soft loans to any member who needs funds. Three Paguyuban members have used this facility to expand their business, and one woman took out a loan to buy a refrigerator for her business.
"The Wonder Women program aligns with the government's efforts to empower people, particularly women, through business development...We have a common goal to support the livelihoods of women in the greater goal to reduce poverty.”

- Elza Deba Agustina, Head of the Department of Cooperatives and Micro-Businesses in Bojonegoro District.

Special Initiatives: Creative Partnerships

Through our creative partnerships, we collaborate with artists, filmmakers and musicians to reach a wider audience.


Kopernik Day (K-Day) 2018

For our eight anniversary, Kopernik hosted Kopernik Day (K-Day) 2018 which showcased our collaboration with various partners and our efforts to find what works to reduce poverty. K-Day has now become an annual gathering of music, art and ideas featuring Kopernik’s experimentation work and the work of our diverse partners, from community groups and civil society organizations to musicians and filmmakers.

Pulau Plastik

In 2018 Kopernik partnered with Gede Robi, the lead singer of Navicula, production house Akarumput, and a number of other creative local film makers on Pulau Plastik, a collaborative project to draw attention to the issue of plastic waste in Bali, uncovering the inconvenient truths about how it ends up in our landfills, our oceans and our food.

We are developing video content with a behavior change approach that examines single-use plastic in the context of Balinese culture through the eyes of local champions that can inspire Bali residents to create positive change on the island and beyond. The pilot episode of Pulau Plastik was screened at several events in 2018, such as the Urban Social Forum 2018 and the Our Oceans Conference 2018.

Pulau Plastik is Kopernik’s first real dive into behavior change, which is a new challenge that differs from the primarily technology focused experiments we’ve conducted in the past. In 2019 we are working to develop the project into something much bigger with exciting new partners coming onboard.

‘Terus Berjuang’ Music Video

In partnership with Bali-based rock band Navicula, and award-winning Film Director Erick EST, Kopernik launched a music video — “Terus Berjuang” (“Keep Up the Fight”). The collaborative project features Kopernik’s work in Sumba, and highlights the issue of energy poverty in Indonesia’s eastern regions as well as the efforts of community activists to bridge that gap. Navicula is widely acclaimed for its songs promoting social justice, and Robi, Navicula’s founder and frontman, along with Kopernik’s co-founder Ewa Wojkowska are part of the Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leaders network.

85,894 views on YouTube
“The issue of plastic waste has reached crisis-level. The time for action is now. .”

- Gede Robi Supriyanto, environmental activist, Navicula frontman, and host of Pulau Plastik.

Communications and Outreach

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE

Kopernik’s work has been widely reported across an array of national and international media outlets including the DAAI TV, the Jakarta Post, NextBillion and Tech in Asia.

EVENT ATTENDANCE AND SPONSORSHIP

Kopernik participated in a number of regional and national events including:

  • The Asia Clean Energy Forum 2018
  • Pacific Menstrual Health Management Conference 2018
  • Indonesia Development Forum 2018
  • Our Oceans Conference
  • AVPN Impact Measurement Workshop

50+ international & national events

Kopernik’s Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

Financial Reporting

2018 Consolidated Activity Statement
(Includes Yayasan Kopernik, PT Kopernik, and Kopernik Japan, and Kopernik Solutions)*
2018 2017
INCOME in USD
Grants and Donations
Corporate Contributions 152,065 7,639
Government Grants 117,339 12,494
Non-profit and Foundation Grants 539,261 1,289,593
Individual Donations 212,136 231,935
In-Kind Donations 11,250 11,250
Total Grants and Donations 1,032,051 1,552,911

Service/Fee Income
Consultancy/Honorarium 783,459 702,738
Total Service/Fee Income 783,459 702,738

Other Income
Technology Distribution 105,651 59,198
Non-Operating Income 15,427 71,327
Total Other Income 121,077 130,525
Total Income Received 1,936,588 2,386,175

EXPENSES
Operational Costs
Staff Related Costs 223,780 218,566
Office & General Administrative Expenses 235,997 229,779
Total Operational Costs 459,778 448,345

Programs Costs
Program support costs (Program staff and program management costs) 784,056 753,934
Program related Technology & Supplies 309,087 279,796
Project Shipping and Delivery Costs 28,757 13,216
Field Support 114,626 126,855
Consultants and Professional Fees 102,840 123,179
Awards and Grants 78,672 115,109
Project Travel 129,016 238,187
Conference, Conventions, Meetings 79,852 160,943
Total Program Costs 1,626,905 1,811,219

Total Expenditure 2,086,683 2,259,564

Change in Net Assets (150,095) 126,611

Net Assets at Beginning of Year ** 2,814,554 2,687,943

NET ASSETS AT END OF YEAR 2,664,459 2,814,554
  • * This is an unofficial consolidated activity statement of four Kopernik entities. Official financial statements of the entities (Kopernik Solutions audit is currently underway) can be accessed here
  • ** Includes unrestricted funds and funding received in previous years, for activities in the reporting year.

Partners & Supporters

Project Partners

Supporters & Clients

Volunteers / Fellows / Interns

Aditia Putra Priono
Fellow

Andreas Budiman
Intern

Ayaka Matsuda
Intern

Davan O'Donnell
Intern

Finn Buchhorn
Intern

Kaede Doi
Intern

Lisa Jin Qian
Intern

Masako Igarashi
Intern

Vivian Maretina
Fellow

+28,500 total of social media supporters (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

+8,800 newsletter subscribers

“The impact we achieved in 2018 is only possible thanks to the incredible support of our team, donors, partners, and supporters. We are very excited to embark on more opportunities that advance innovation and build more collaboration towards poverty reduction in 2019.”

- Toshi Nakamura and Ewa Wojkowska
Co-Founders

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