Kupang — Under the warm lights of the Harper Hotel’s grand hall in Kupang, all eyes turned toward an unlikely figure standing confidently on stage. Amid provincial leaders and senior officials, a young woman accepted a trophy not for herself alone, but for a remote village in the southern edge of Indonesia: Pukuafu, Landu Leko District, Rote Ndao Regency.
Her name is Ermi Daik. Not yet 35, she has already steered her village to national recognition, securing third place in the 2025 Paritrana Award for best implementation of employment social security programs.
“My thinking is simple,” Ermi said after receiving the award. “If we don’t protect the workers in our village, who will?”
More than a village administrator, Ermi is a catalyst for change in Nusa Tenggara Timur. Her leadership has driven a sharp increase in social security coverage for farmers, fishermen, and construction workers. She has mobilized the community to collectively fund contributions for vulnerable workers and has led door-to-door education campaigns to raise awareness.
Rote Ndao Regent Paulus Henuk, present at the ceremony, voiced his pride. “Villages like Pukuafu prove that social protection is not just the business of cities or central government. This is a grassroots movement, born from compassion,” he said.
For Regent Henuk, Ermi’s achievements align with the provincial government’s Dasa Cita program, one of whose pillars aims to protect 100,000 vulnerable workers. The initiative, championed by Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena and Deputy Governor Johni Asadoma, has found fertile ground in Pukuafu.
To some, the Paritrana Award may be just another annual event. But behind the spotlight lies the quiet story of a young woman initiating social change from one of the country’s farthest points. In Pukuafu, social protection is not a slogan — it is a collective act of preserving dignity.
“Women are not only meant to sit at the back. We can stand at the front, protecting the vulnerable,” Ermi said, her voice steady.
From a small coastal village in Rote Ndao, Ermi Daik has proven that meaningful protection starts with courage — and sometimes, all it takes is one young woman bold enough to lead.
