Riswati, known as Riris, began her journey not in a boardroom but in the streets of Jakarta as a student activist advocating for peaceful resolution to the Aceh conflict. Armed with a Master’s degree in Gender Studies and what she calls “feminist goggles,” she returned to Aceh after the 2004 Tsunami and witnessed a troubling pattern: women who had been the backbone of community survival were being pushed back into domestic roles when formal aid arrived. Since becoming Executive Director of Flower Aceh in 2018, she has transformed the organization into a leading force for Gender and Disability Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and Feminist Local Humanitarian Leadership — proving that when women lead, local communities don’t just survive crises, they build more equitable systems through them.

Read about Riris’ Story in Voices from the Frontline The Heart of Leadership: Riris and the Flower Aceh Journey