UNAIR NEWS – The pandemic which is still not over, has an impact on the economic conditions in Indonesia. There are so many companies that had to lay-off their employees. Some people even have to change professions to keep earning income, such as being traders.
Feeling concerned about the problem, Shofi Nilamsari, a student of Faculty of Public Health (FKM) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) took initiative to establish a community called Aid for Buddies. This community which literally means ‘helps for friends’, was chosen because the name reflects the purpose of the community, which is to help small and medium traders in promoting their businesses for free. In managing the community, Shofi was assisted by 14 team members and two volunteers.
“Initially it was unthinkable to use the name, Aid for Buddies, then after discussing with community team members we decided on that name which means helps for friends,” Shofi explained on Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
Promotion activities were carried out through 16 Instagram accounts of each member with a total number of followers more than 17,000. Although they do not collect fees from traders, there are several conditions that must be met in order for their businesses to be promoted. As of July 2020, there have been 10 small and medium traders across Indonesia that have been assisted.
“Until now there are approximately 10 small and medium traders who have been assisted, because indeed we (the AFB community, ed) limit every day and there are several conditions that must be met,” she said.
Apart from helping free promotion, AFB also conducts several other activities such as sharing sessions where students can share experiences according to their fields of interest. AFB also makes a mini podcast to see various points of view of students related to a matter.
In the future, Shofi hoped that the AFB community can continue to grow and become more widely known by the public. She also hoped that AFB can hold a fundraising so that it can help more people in need. Shofi advised other students that sharing does not have to be a matter of material but can be from many things, because no one knows how many smiles are created from sharing activities.
“Don’t be afraid to start sharing, because we never know how many smiles we make from sharing,” concluded the student from Lamongan. (*)
Author: Dita Aulia Rahma
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
