Alfonsa Horeng (third right) with weavers at Lepo Lorun Weaving Center in Maumere, Flores. (Photo supplied)
Born to a family that loves weaving, Alfonsa Horeng, 46, knows exactly how to preserve it and use it to improve the life of Indonesian women.
She had long thought about using this traditional heritage to empower village women.
Her quest finally came true in 2000, a year after she returned to her village in Maumere, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara province, after studying agricultural technology at Widya Mandala Catholic University in Surabaya, East Java.
She started by organizing the mothers in her village to pursue this endangered art. "I invited them to weave, to love this job, at least to meet their own needs," she said. “I will really regret if this heritage, wealth and pride of our culture is not preserved.”