Patriot Desa Digital is an initiative carried out by Mobisaria in collaboration with Telkomsel, the largest mobile telecommunications provider in Indonesia. The program was conducted in five cities: Bandung, Bogor, Surabaya, Medan, and Makassar. The objective of this program is to develop the potential of young people living in villages or small suburban areas (hereinafter referred to as Patriots) as catalysts for digital economic transformation, in order to maximize the potential of their respective regions. Ultimately, the program is expected to create a positive and productive digital ecosystem.
Through the Patriot Desa Digital program, digital education is provided to support business development and community empowerment. As a result, many local heroes emerge as tech-savvy Patriots who are able to create new job opportunities in the digital era and assist local businesses as well as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The Patriot Desa Digital program is also specifically designed for MSMEs and cooperatives through digital literacy education. In implementing the program, Telkomsel involved non-bank financial institutions, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), and Sharia Microfinance Institutions (SMFIs). In addition, students from various universities were also engaged in the program.
A number of activities within the Patriot Desa Digital program included seminars, workshops, assistance and monitoring, as well as evaluation and implementation involving 750 Patriot Desa Digital participants from 250 villages across Indonesia and 50 BMTs. The program was conducted from April to December 2019.
In the seminar and talk show sessions, Telkomsel selected the theme of village economic empowerment through technology. This aimed to provide insights to rural communities on the use of products and applications to develop the digital economy, as well as to inspire young people to pursue success in the digital era.
