Known for its floral beauty and diversity, Bambar Village in Waibu District, Jayapura Regency, holds untapped potential that has yet to be fully utilized. Recognizing this opportunity, the UGM Jejak Jayapura 2025 team initiated a training program on producing fashion items using the ecoprint technique, aiming to transform the village’s natural wealth into sustainable business opportunities.
Frank Richard Yambe Yabdi, the program coordinator, said the initiative was designed to boost productive activities among local youth, equipping them with skills to start businesses and contribute to Bambar Village’s economy while adhering to environmental sustainability principles.
“We collaborated with the village’s young men and women from the flora collection stage through to the ecoprint workshop. This was important to spark their interest in participating in the training and inspire them to make use of Bambar’s floral wealth,” Yabdi explained on Tuesday (Aug. 12).
According to Yabdi, the search for flowers and leaves suitable for ecoprinting took place around the village, from areas near the Obhe (traditional house) to the Cyclops Mountains forest.
“They walked approximately 200 meters to gather flowers and leaves appropriate for the ecoprint technique,” he said.
Some of the flora used included peacock flowers (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), fern leaves, pumpkin flowers, marigolds, and more. Once collected, the application of the ecoprint technique on T-shirts was carried out together with more than 15 participating youths.
“Not only did they attend as participants, but they also helped the team prepare workshop materials by bringing buckets for soaking shirts in alum and donating old T-shirts to serve as ecoprint media,” Yabdi added.
Cristine Kaway, one of the young women in Bambar Village, said the activity was easy to develop locally because the materials were readily available in the area and had high artistic and environmental value, making them appealing to youth.
“I hope this program can be expanded by adding educational activities on ecoprint-based environmental sustainability and inviting a broader audience,” she said.
The finished ecoprinted shirts were exhibited several times during the 28th Yorro Cup football tournament in Bambar Village to gauge interest in the products. The exhibition revealed strong visitor enthusiasm, highlighting profitable prospects for young people interested in building businesses using the ecoprint technique.
At the farewell evening between the KKN-PPM UGM students and the community, Yabdi handed over ecoprinting tools to youth representative Elsa Kaway. Additionally, the completed ecoprint shirts were distributed to the workshop participants.
“We hope the youth here will further develop ecoprinting techniques and use Bambar Village’s floral wealth as business capital to promote the area’s natural beauty while boosting the local economy through sustainable methods,” Yabdi said.
Author: Lintang Andwyna
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photographs: Jejak Jayapura Team