How Small Acts of Care Grew into a Movement for Recovery and Regeneration

Long before crisis came to define our lives, Empu Jalin Karsa (EJK), now known as Jalinka, had quietly begun its response to everyday challenges, through care, creativity, and conscious making.

1. Reclaiming Waste, Restoring Dignity
In December 2019, EJK launched its Climate Response and Upcycling Movement. What began as a simple act of transforming unused fabrics, vintage Indonesian textiles, and leftover materials soon evolved into something deeply intentional.

For EJK, upcycling was never just about sustainability. It was about recovery, about restoring dignity and honoring the life behind every material.
Each product was thoughtfully designed and ethically produced. Proceeds were used to pay tailors fairly, to purchase handcrafted textiles from vulnerable artisan groups, and to support programs for women survivors of violence.

In the hands of the community, upcycling became both a creative practice and a quiet resistance to a culture of waste. And EJK continues to nurture this creativity: ensuring that upcycling is not just about recycling materials, but also about regenerating livelihoods, skills, and cultural meaning.

2. Expanding Ethical Practices and Collective Collaboration

As this practice evolved, EJK expanded its efforts beyond products. It initiated environmental campaigns, encouraged ethical consumption, and created spaces for dialogue about responsible fashion rooted in social and ecological care.

This journey was never a solitary one. It grew through relationships, through trust, and through a shared commitment to regenerate not only products, but also lives, communities, and local knowledge.

3. Turning Crisis into Collective Action

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, this growing ecosystem naturally transformed into a collective response. Alongside other key actors, EJK mobilized its networks and resources to act quickly and meaningfully.
In the midst of lockdowns and uncertainty, EJK took direct responsibility on the ground. It organized teams of tailors, managed hundreds of meters of material — from recycled Indonesian textiles sent by solidarity networks to newly sourced fabrics — producing thousands of cloth and medical masks while expanding its outreach through premium mask campaigns. EJK also played an active role in marketing and distributing these products across various communities and networks.

Selling premium masks was not only a sustainability strategy. It became a crucial way to fund the continued production of medical masks for healthcare workers and vulnerable communities. Every sale was reinvested to purchase medical-grade materials, ensuring that this solidarity movement could keep going and reach those who needed it most.

Many of these premium masks were also distributed for free to thousands of people within vulnerable communities, supported by grassroots distribution efforts across diverse networks of care.

4. From Mapping Realities to Piloting Change

Following this response, EJK deepened its commitment by conducting field assessments to explore both the challenges and opportunities faced by women-led creative economies. The assessments were carried out in Kupang, Sumba, and Garut, focusing on women artisans who have long been the economic backbone of their villages.

These assessments revealed multi-layered struggles — from economic precarity and limited market access to the lack of resources, funding, and eco-friendly production practices needed to address climate challenges and sustain their livelihoods.

Responding to these findings, EJK initiated its pilot support programs through self-funded efforts in their early stage. In Kampung Pasir, Garut, EJK worked closely with Indigenous women artisans to support their transition towards more environmentally friendly production practices.

This support went far beyond training. EJK helped provide basic creative infrastructure, including a modest open-air studio (sawung) that has since become a communal space for learning, working, and welcoming guests. EJK also brought in experienced facilitators, ensured that all materials were provided free of charge, and even opened access to clean water, not only to support natural dyeing processes but, more importantly, to meet the community’s most basic daily needs.

Most importantly, EJK ensured that every fabric produced during the workshops was respected and valued. These products were purchased directly by EJK, not as mere samples, but as meaningful expressions of evolving knowledge, creative growth, and living craftsmanship.

This collaborative journey remains ongoing. EJK continues to accompany the women artisans of Kampung Pasir in their learning process, nurturing their creativity, supporting their regenerative practices, and building pathways towards long-term sustainability.