On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, Universitas YARSI in collaboration with Vijja Care, RT 05/RW 05 Glodok, and PT Pramudita Darya Parma organized an educational activity titled “Empowered Women with TOGA: Building Family Health and Herbal-Based Economic Opportunities” for three hours (09.30-12.30 WIB) in the Glodok community area. This program represents concrete response to the urgency of community empowerment, particularly targeting women and senior age groups (46 years and above), in optimally utilizing Medicinal Plants (TOGA) for health, chronic disease prevention, and development of sustainable herbal-based economic opportunities. The activity, guided by Delfi Vijja Paramita, B.A., Br.M., CDME.Hc., CDC® (Founder of Vijja Care), provided comprehensive education on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the benefits of various herbal plants such as aloe vera, turmeric, ginger, galangal, lesser galangal, lemongrass, and betel leaves that can be cultivated in home environments. Involving five academics from Universitas YARSI, Penny Rahmah Fadhilah, S.E., M.Si., Inda Dwi Lestantri, Ph.D., Nova Eka Diana, Ph.D., and Sri Puji Utami, S.T., M.T, the activity integrated academic perspectives on technology utilization and herbal-based economic development, demonstrating higher education’s commitment to translating academic knowledge into concrete action impacting the community.
The “Empowered Women with TOGA” program emphasizes the urgency of building a holistic community empowerment ecosystem, combining health, education, technology, and economic aspects in one integrated initiative. The activity included educational presentations, hands-on TOGA planting practices guided by Gabriella Arifin, and introduction of the Digital Herbal Plant Encyclopedia through the Museum Herbal platform a collaboration between Universitas YARSI and Vijja Care to facilitate public access to information on Indonesia’s herbal plant wealth digitally. High participant enthusiasm, demonstrated through active discussions and interactions, indicates the program’s success in raising community awareness and interest in utilizing TOGA in daily life. The program supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being by promoting chronic disease prevention through natural and sustainable herbal plant utilization, Goal 5: Gender Equality with focus on women empowerment through herbal-based economic opportunities, Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production by encouraging sustainable agricultural practices at household level, Goal 13: Climate Action through utilization of local plants and reduced dependence on synthetic products, and Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals through cross-sectoral collaboration among higher education institutions, communities, and business partners in creating sustainable empowerment models. Through this initiative, Universitas YARSI demonstrates its commitment to providing concrete contributions through education, research, and community service that are transformative and have long-term impact.
