Tanoto Foundation for Indonesia’s Future Education

2020 was an unprecedented year, with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing borders to close, businesses to shut, and schools to send pupils home. 

Although it made the logistics more complex, the pandemic made the work of Tanoto Foundation even more important as educations and livelihoods were disrupted. 

In April 2020, Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, procured 1 million medical gloves, 3,000 medical goggles and 100,000 protective gowns to help protect frontline medical personnel. Tanoto Foundation also donated 10,200 PCR diagnostic kits to BNPB, the national disaster management agency.

That was followed in October by a collaboration with Temasek Foundation to donate Covid-19 detection equipment kits to GSI Lab in Jakarta. The donation included a PCR test machine and 10,000 testing kits to increase the daily testing capacity.

We also continued our work to support schools in Indonesia, which had been forced to rapidly introduce online learning. We developed distance learning modules designed for teachers, principals, facilitators, parents and students. We also worked hand in hand with education stakeholders to create online learning platforms tailored to regional needs, such as the Kendal Pintar Berbagi website in Kendal Regency, Central Java; Rumah Belajar and Kukar Pintar Youtube channels in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan; and the Batanghari Belajar dari Rumah Facebook group.

Our work to contribute to the reduction of the stunting rate in Indonesia to below 20% by 2030 continued, as Tanoto Foundation partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to become a founding member of the World Bank’s Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) for Indonesia Human Capital Acceleration (IHCA). Operating from 2020 to 2024, the MDTF will support and accelerate whole-of-government stunting reduction efforts. Both the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Tanoto Foundation have committed a total USD 4 million donation to the MDTF.

In the field of leadership development, Tanoto Foundation continued its recruitment for TELADAN 2020, offering scholarships and support to 150 students from nine state universities.

Our annual Tanoto Scholars Gathering was conducted virtually for the first time, along with our Graduation and Alumni Gathering events for scholars who had just finished their bachelor education.

Looking back to everything that has been done in 2020, Tanoto Foundation looks forward to 2021 as a time to strengthen the commitment we have built in increasing the quality of education in Indonesia. Because we believe, only through a better education can we improve the quality of the next generation as our successors.