The dry season is the season when farmers in the southern part of East Sumba generally take rest, they do not farm or cultivate the land because the soil is dry, so it is difficult to grow any plants there. This condition is faced by farmers every year, especially in Lewa, Makamenggit area. Only during the rainy season they cultivate the land. The time span of the dry season is from May to November (8 months), and during that season most farmers, especially women, stay at home and rarely do other activities. Moreover, the pandemic force everyone to stay at home and make women unproductive.

This condition is not supposed to make people unproductive, instead various activities can be carried out, especially activities that can supply household food needs. One option that can be done is vegetable gardening in the house yards. This is what the women's community of Stube HEMAT is doing here. Started from an understanding how to take advantage of the existing potency as the facilitator of the discussion, Pdt. Suryaningsih Mila, M.Si. Teol, shared to the participants, it became a new enthusiasm to optimize the house yards by making vegetable beds.

On August 3, 2020, the women in this village started to set fence around the vegetable beds. There are two locations used, at the church yard for vegetables and at the yard of Iche Hana's house for the nursery of natural colouring plants for their traditional weaving. Iche Hana, a weaver and young activist, admitted that she was very happy with the enthusiasm of the women here to optimize their house yards, even dry, did not dampen their enthusiasm to synergize.

Kalita Mboru, a woman activist, the head of PAUD (pre-school) Bina Kasih, and also the head of Tanatuku village health team, commented about the establisment of women's community in this village. "I am happy for the Stube HEMAT program here, so the women here do not just prepare the food and stay at home, but we can support the economic condition of our family by planting vegetables and learning traditional weaving", she said. She thanked to Stube HEMAT for being ready to support the activity and there will be good cooperation.

The two vegetable beds that have been made require sufficient water during the dry season, however it did not reduce the motivation of the community to take advantage of the existing potency and help their families daily needs. They applied a method to pay monthly fee of Rp 5.000 per participant. From 20 members they bought a tank of water for Rp 100.000 per month to supply water needs for the vegetable beds and the nursery. Meanwhile, the community distribute schedule to take care the plantantion, such as watering and caring for the plants. Keep moving women to ignite enthusiasm and cooperation. ***