Empowering street vendors in Indonesia through a sustainability-integrated financial literacy program

Earlier this year our Grantham Scholar, Eva Andriani, traveled to Indonesia to conduct some participatory research with a community of street vendors. We spoke to Eva to find out about her experience and the impact of her research.

Indonesia has a rich street food culture, with vendors a very common sight in its bustling towns and cities. They serve a delicious array of traditional dishes, snacks and drinks to locals and tourists, often at affordable prices. Street vendors also contribute significantly by creating job opportunities, providing household income, and supporting the achievement of the SDGs.

However, many face challenges related to financial literacy and sustainability practices, which hinder their ability to become financially resilient and access government financial support. As a result, this sector risks being left behind as the country moves toward a green transition.

Supporting Indonesian street vendors

Since completing her confirmation review, Andriani has been conducting participatory research in her home country, Indonesia. Her project focuses on supporting local street food vendors in the village of Rejoagung by developing a financial literacy program that incorporates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations.

By promoting sustainable business practices, Andriani hopes her research will empower vulnerable communities, enhancing their self-resilience through cost and waste reduction, improving access to funding, and fostering long-term development.

Participatory action research approach

As part of her research, Andriani collaborated closely with 34 street vendors and the broader community to co-create tailored solutions and prioritize local perspectives and needs.

“I began by creating a formal agreement with five street vendors, who served as co-researchers representing the community,” explains Andriani. “I conducted interviews with 20 street vendors to identify key challenges that informed the development of a transformative education framework.

“Following this, I conducted five collaborative dialogues with the co-researchers to design a practical model that included financial literacy materials, ESG concepts, alternative learning methods, and integration mechanisms.

“This was followed by validation sessions involving stakeholders from local academic communities and the government’s Financial Services Authority (OJK). Once the model was finalized, I conducted pre- and post-tests with the street vendors and proceeded with the implementation stage.”

By blending financial literacy with ESG principles, Andriani’s approach enables vendors to enhance their financial well-being while contributing to global sustainability goals. This initiative also helps foster networks between street vendors, educators, sustainability experts, and local government authorities.

Challenges in complex settings

Conducting research in culturally and socio-economically complex settings like Indonesia presents unique challenges. One key issue is that many traditional research processes require participants to possess advanced literacy skills.

“Many participants can find dealing with information sheets and consent forms overwhelming or intimidating. This creates barriers to meaningful engagement.”

To address this, Andriani, with guidance from her supervisors Dr. Olga Cam and Dr. Ozlem Arikan, designed an approach which focused on collaborative dialogue to build mutual understanding and co-create solutions.

“I simplified the Participant Information Sheet, translated it into participants’ local language, and used AI-generated comic illustrations to complement the written material,” said Andriani. “I also used verbal explanations to further ensure accessibility for participants with varying literacy levels.”

By actively prioritizing local contexts, Andriani was able to address common concerns in research about imposing Western-centric solutions and her approach represented a step towards decolonizing research practices.

Opportunities for impact

Despite the challenges, Andriani’s creative approaches to research design brought significant opportunities and rewards.

“By building trust and collaborative relationships with the local community, I was able to present my findings at a village council ceremony attended by 23 local authorities and 20 street vendors. The event included mini training sessions for the vendors around one of my research findings, which focused on food waste management and food bank distribution. Following this, I got the chance to visit the vendors’ business sites.

“I was also able to engage with local higher education providers and the local government. I used a financial educators’ forum which included 36 universities in East Java, Bali and Semarang to validate my findings with the Indonesian research community. I then shared the findings with the policy maker, OJK (Financial Service Authority of Indonesia), which allowed me to refine my insights. This step was vital for me to develop a robust financial education program tailored to street vendors, integrating ESG principles for a holistic approach to sustainable transformation.”

International collaboration

Building on the successful engagement with the local community, Andriani and her supervisor Dr. Cam were invited to speak at the World Research and Engagement Forum hosted by KH. Mukhtar Sayafaat’s University in Indonesia.

Addressing an audience of 70 students and 102 lecturers, Andriani shared her educational journey, from her Master’s degree at Leeds to her doctoral research at Sheffield. Dr. Cam reflected on the importance of cross-cultural dialogue and interdisciplinary research in addressing global challenges. Together, they engaged participants in a thought-provoking discussion on the value of collaboration and cross-cultural experiences in an interconnected world. Dr. Cam and Andriani also visited Semarang University, where they delivered a public lecture to Indonesian academics.

Next steps

Andriani has finished her data collection and will soon enter the final stages of her Ph.D. at the Sheffield Management School and Grantham Center. Her work underscores the potential of participatory action research to drive meaningful change locally and globally, paving the way for interdisciplinary partnerships.