Tanoto Foundation: Education, Empowerment, and Enhancement

Belinda Tanoto with training participants at Bougenville Center, North Jakarta.

Written by JakartaGlobe

“Every person should have the opportunity to realize his or her full potential.” A quote by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto, two business leaders and philanthropists who founded Tanoto Foundation.

The main focus of Tanoto Foundation is to become the center of excellence in poverty alleviation through Education, Empowerment, and Enhancement. Both Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto believe that people have the rights for education and to live life to the fullest. Fortunately, their tremendous vision had been successfully descended to their children, a legacy of their own blood.

Belinda Tanoto said that her father did not have the opportunity to complete his high school due to social and economical constraints then. Gratefully, the fate has changed for the next generation of the Tanoto family. Belinda herself managed to get a Magna Cum Laude in Finance and Political Science from University of Pennsylvania. A truly big achievement in her life, and for her family as well. Being asked about her feeling right now, Belinda truly reflects her current conditions as a gift, as well as motivation.

“I feel very lucky and fortunate that my siblings and I got the opportunity to go to one of the best schools. As I mentioned before, my parents did not get that chance, but they’ve been working really hard to make it happen to us,” said Belinda. “For me this is truly a gift. Knowing how challenging their life was, I am motivated to address the issue of education and poverty in Indonesia. And Tanoto Foundation provides the mechanism and venue for that.”

As a Member of the Board of Trustees for the Tanoto Foundation, Belinda has been following her parents footstep to strive within her philanthropist works in between her busy schedule as a key figure in RGE’s palm oil business. According to Belinda, her role within the Foundation ranges from setting up the vision as well as identifying the strategy in collaboration with her professional team.