By: Natalia Trita Agnika

When setting foot on a beach in Kei Kecil, our eyes are spoiled by the beauty of the beach. Not to mention the warm sweep of soft sand on our feet, making us reluctant to leave the paradise on the island that is part of the Kei Islands. This island is located in the southeast of the Maluku Islands, Maluku Province.

After returning from Kei Kecil, a beautiful souvenir in the form of a flower necklace made of patchwork will remind us of the hospitality and hard work of coastal women in Kei Kecil. Most of them have dual duties as housewives and as economic supporters of the family who help their husbands earn a living have produced various souvenirs with great care. Generally, the souvenirs they produce are made from used raw materials, such as used sacks, patchwork (fabric scraps), and coconut shells. Seeds from plants that grow along the coastline are also transformed into beautiful necklaces. One of them is the seed from the fruit of the bintangur tree. In other areas, many accessory materials are made of wood, but in Kei Kecil, beads made from the seeds of the bintangur fruit are characteristic.

The Kei Kecil coastal women are members of the ecotourism mothers community formed and fostered by WWF-Indonesia in Kei Kecil. The training to make souvenirs from used goods has been conducted since February 2015. Mira Lismawati as a handicraft consultant and Veronica Louhenapessy as a local facilitator provide training and mentoring in order to further open up economic opportunities so as to increase the income of the local community.

In addition to making souvenirs, local communities also received information on how to obtain sustainable raw materials, calculate production costs which will determine the selling price of the product, as well as information on where the community can sell their products. The local community gave a positive response to the training activities. Many enthusiastically participated in the activities.

Souvenirs typical of Kei Kecil are also promoted through social networks. The community is expected to establish cooperation with several local operators who usually sell tour packages to Kei. With this collaboration, it is hoped that tourists visiting Kei can access handicraft products more easily.

When you visit Kei Kecil, don't forget to buy local souvenirs made by the people there. Buying local souvenirs is one of the things suggested on the Signing Blue website. The Signing Blue program, launched in September 2015, is an innovation and a platform for tourists and tourism service providers (operators, accommodation managers, transportation managers, culinary services, guide services, to local souvenir providers) to play a real role in protecting natural resources. This WWF-Indonesia initiative program encourages the government, business actors, and the community to utilize and secure marine assets so that a responsible tourism system is realized.