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  • Tanoto Scholars Participate in 7th Project Sukacita in Pangkalan Kerinci

    Tanoto Scholars Participate in 7th Project Sukacita in Pangkalan Kerinci

    Project Sukacita is an annual volunteering program which sees participants comprising Tanoto Scholars in Singapore going to Pangkalan Kerinci in Riau.

    The program, initiated by Tanoto Scholars at the Singapore Management University (SMU), has been running since 2012. In recent years, Tanoto Scholars at National University of Singapore (NUS), and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have also taken part in the program.

    This year, 33 students from the three universities participated in Project Sukacita VII which ran from May 6 to 19. Their activities included visiting schools, where they interacted with children, playing with them and motivating them to learn. They also guided the students on how to lead clean and healthy lifestyles, and there was also a health screening session for the children and their parents.

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    “I learned so many things from participating in this project! I’ve never joined a community service project before, so I didn’t know what to expect. But it turned out to be an extremely fun, memorable and eye-opening experience overall,” said Kelsey Rochili Santoso, Tanoto Scholar from SMU.

    “I learned to more considerate and adaptive towards other cultures. Even though I’m Indonesian, I grew up in the capital city where people are more open and diverse. However, this is not the case in less developed areas like Kerinci, so I had to be more conscious of local customs in order not to offend anyone,” she added.

    Meanwhile, for Chia Yi Mian, Tanoto Scholar from NUS, this year’s Project Sukacita was different from those held in previous years, because he had been appointed as Project Co-Head.

    “Being part of the Project Sukacita leadership has been a very different experience from the previous year when I participated as a volunteer. Overall, it has been a valuable opportunity that allowed me to see and learn many things. It was also a platform for me to get to know other Tanoto Foundation Scholars, and to witness Tanoto Foundation’s work,” said Chia.

    “I learnt that a good leader is one who walks the talk – one that leads others not just by words, but also by example. It is also very important to remember that a leader should foremost be someone who serves – not just in planning and instruction – but also in execution.

    “I witnessed the power a team can have if we work together and understand each other’s weaknesses and strengths. It was a very big blessing for my team to be made up of unique individuals who complemented each other and overcame our weaknesses, while bringing our individual strengths to the table for the success of the project,” Chia added.

    Vincent Wise, a participant from NTU, also gave a positive response about his experience with Project Sukacita 2019.

    “It was refreshing and insightful. Being away from the city and getting to interact with children reminded me of how simple life can be. I also got to better understand the living conditions of the people of Kerinici and their health issues,” he said.

    Vincent also said the project allowed him to learn about teamwork with people of different backgrounds.

    “I learned how to communicate with people in a simpler way when needed, as was the case when we organised the health screenings. I also learnt a bit more on how to handle working with children,” said Vincent.

    Digital Team

  • Wharton and SMU Students Learn About Sustainability in Kerinci

    Wharton and SMU Students Learn About Sustainability in Kerinci

    Forty-two students comprising 35 from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and 7 from Singapore Management University visited Pangkalan Kerinci in Riau from May 24 to 26, 2019.

    The visit was part of the Global Modular Course (GMC), an annual partnership program between Tanoto Foundation and The Wharton School which aims to provide real experiences for students in understanding business opportunities and sustainability practices directly from the field.

    GMC 2019 is the sixth implementation of the partnership program since it was first held in 2014. As with previous sessions, this year’s program saw the participants learning directly from the sustainability practices which are carried out by the RGE Group of companies.

    The participants visited the RGE Technology Center to learn how advanced technology is applied within the forestry industry. Here, they had a chance to visit the research center which focuses on the development of superior industrial plant seeds to meet pulp and paper tree growing needs.

    They also learned how APRIL Group develops acacia and eucalyptus seedlings, beginning with breeding them from tissue culture until they are ready for planting. They also learned how wood is efficiently processed into pulp, which is further processed into either paper or rayon.

    The participants also gained insight regarding the sustainability practices carried out by Asian Agri in managing oil palm plantations and processing crops into palm oil. These eco-friendly practices include the use of owls as natural predators as pest control for the crops.

    During the visit, the participants also learned about the range of community development programs run by the various RGE companies, which include training farmers to use integrated farming systems to increase their overall productivity and training housewives to become batik crafters. These programs aim to empower local communities to obtain additional income and improve their welfare.

    The GMC 2019 visit concluded with a dinner session, which gave participants the opportunity to interact with Tanoto Scholars from the University of Riau.

    Digital Team

  • Paying it forward with Tanoto Foundation

    Paying it forward with Tanoto Foundation

    Tanoto Scholar Duantra Bergas Ari Kuntar feels that his life has been full of blessings and kindness, and it is time to pass on the same generosity to the community.

    Ari received a Tanoto Foundation scholarship in 2013, while he was studying at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology at Bogor Agricultural University.

    He was an active part of the university’s Tanoto Scholars Association (TSA IPB), and so quickly became used to being involved in social projects.

    “At that time, TSA IPB had a Bina Desa project, where we went to Sukadamai Village in Bogor every weekend to guide the children there in improving their learning. We engaged with parents to share how they can motivate their children to study,” recalled Ari.

    Tanoto Scholars are supported by Tanoto Foundation to run goodwill social projects and to pay forward the benefits that they have received to the community. The pay it forward concept is largely emphasised by the founders of Tanoto Foundation, Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto, who say that good leaders must have good character.

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    When he graduated in 2017, Ari wanted to continue contributing to society. He decided to leave his job at a tech start-up, opting instead to spend a year as a teacher educating the Indonesian rural community via the country’s ‘Mengajar’ program.

    “There was a strict selection process required to become a program participant, and I had to compete with more than 6,000 interested parties. “In 2018, only 33 people were selected to become young teachers as part of the program. I was thankfully one of them,” Ari said.

    Under the program, Ari is currently placed in Haratai Village in Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency of South Kalimantan province. The village is a two-hour trip from the nearest city via a steep, winding road.

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    “The incline of the slope here is about 45 degrees,” Ari said, adding that there is no phone signal in the village and he basically does not use his phone here.

    Yet, Ari finds the whole experience of going directly to the community to be extremely fulfilling.

    “I really enjoy guiding the children and getting parents to care more about their children’s education, and also motivating teachers to be more creative and diligent in the classroom,” he said.

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    The best part of the experience, however, is being able to paying forward what he has received from Tanoto Foundation to people in need.

    Ari said that even though he will head back to the tech industry after his stint at Mengajar ends in May 2019, he hopes to continue being involved in improving the quality of education in Indonesia again in the future.

    Digital Team