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  • Creative Idea from Tanoto Scholars to Help Community on Stunting Prevention

    Creative Idea from Tanoto Scholars to Help Community on Stunting Prevention

    Written by Arini Dina Yasmin, Tanoto Scholar from Brawijaya University

    We are a team of eight students of Brawijaya University, three of whom are Tanoto Scholars: Adam Syarif Hidayatullah, Ismelia Novitasari, and myself, Arini Dina Yasmin, developing an educational stunting prevention smartphone app called SMAOTHER (Smart Mother).

    The idea to create SMAOTHER came from Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981. While participating in Tanoto Foundation training activities, we listened to presentations about their various programs to improve human capital development in Indonesia.

    One of Tanoto Foundation’s areas of focus is contributing to the prevention of stunting in Indonesia. We looked more deeply into stunting, and it turns out the problem is very serious and complex in Indonesia. The stunting figure is still quite high in the country – around 27.7 per cent – according to the 2019 survey data from the Ministry of Health.

    This inspired us to make an app to educate people on stunting prevention. We wanted to get involved and do something to help improve the quality of human resources in Indonesia.

    We began the process of creating the app in March 2019. It took about two months of hard work to complete it. Each team member had a role in developing the app – data collection, content creation, or the technical process of making the app itself.

    We often had to work late during that time. We even worked until dawn in the days nearing the deadline. Since starting the project, we were determined to spend time on it with the notion that we were going to create something that would be beneficial to the nation. As young people, we feel the need to be involved and offer solutions to existing issues. We can’t just stand idly by.

    Our SMAOTHER application has several features. First, it contains educational information about stunting. It also contains news and tips on maternal and child health. The app features information about pregnancy and fetal development according to age, which users can use to compare with their own pregnancies.

    SMAOTHER also allows users who have children below five years old to input their biodata (including the child’s age and weight) which will be sent directly to their nearest Posyandu (Child Health Centre) so that the centre can monitor the child’s health.

    We are proud because our efforts have been recognised at several regional forums. In June 2019, our team won the gold medal in the education application category at the 2019 Young Inventors Exhibition (WYIE) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2019 WYIE was attended by participants from 11 countries, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Qatar, Australia and China.

    Right now, we are planning to further develop SMAOTHER by releasing it to the public. We hope this small step can help the government in preventing stunting in Indonesia.

    KZTC

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  • Ideas 4 Action Winner Receives Opportunity to Study at Wharton

    Ideas 4 Action Winner Receives Opportunity to Study at Wharton

    Many students have dreams of attending competitions or conferences abroad and I am grateful to be one of those who managed to experience this – and not just once. Thanks to Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, I was able to attend one international conference and one mentoring program.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BznNoSahTc0

    First, I went to Singapore to attend the Asia Student Leadership Conference (ASLC) from 5 to 8 July, 2019. At ASLC, I met many young Asian representatives and participated in many discussions about the important issues that the world is facing, ranging from refugee crises to gender inequality, lack of access for people with disabilities, and the misuse of social media. What I really liked about the ASLC is how we were taught about social entrepreneurship, and how I was able to build networks with many great, young peers.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B80cZi6hYnf

    The second opportunity was even more valuable to me, as I got to be mentored at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, United States from February 16 to 20, 2020. This opportunity was granted after my team, WeHelp.ID, won the Ideas for Action Incubator Competition (I4AIC) at the national level.

    The Ideas for Action Incubator Competition was a joint initiative between Tanoto Foundation and the Wharton School, inviting Indonesian students and young professionals to develop and share their ideas for financing solutions to deliver the SDGs. The winners of the competition would receive valuable mentoring from Wharton professors, in preparation for competing in the Global Ideas for Action Competition.

    I first learnt about the I4AIC from Tanoto Foundation. As a Tanoto Scholar, I often get plenty of interesting information about leadership programs both at the national and international levels. As soon as I heard about the competition, I immediately invited my friends – who are all also Tanoto Scholars – to form a team with me and join the competition. We spent some time brainstorming before finally deciding on the topic of ‘Protection of Women and Children in Makassar’. According to the data we obtained, the number of women and child abuse cases in the province is quite high.

    We then decided to make a mobile app – called WeHelp – which was also the name of our group. The app is an online consultancy, providing guidance to victims of violence, with a focus on female and child victims. We work together with lawyers and psychologists to become consultants who provide advice and solutions to the victims.

    We decided to create this online consulting service because victims of violence usually find it extremely difficult to share their experiences, when asked to report directly to the authorities. People tend to be more open about the problems they face when their identities are kept secret during an online consultation.

    When I was in junior high school, I was a Child Ambassador for authority of Sidrap district, South Sulawesi. At that time, I was a peer counselor and spent time listening to my friends about their worries and problems. From this experience, I learned quite early on that people sometimes have problems but do not have the courage to tell anyone, either because of shame or fear.

    As a millennial, I really hope that WeHelp.ID will help provide solutions to many people in the community, and that their lives consequently improve as a direct result.

    This article was written by Nur Efendi Darming, Tanoto Scholar from Hasanuddin University

    KZTC

  • Penn Students Reflect on Meeting Ideas 4 Action Winners

    Penn Students Reflect on Meeting Ideas 4 Action Winners

    On 18 Feburary 2020, students in Ideas for Action and Dr. Djordjia Petkoski’s LGST401 and LGST230 classes met with winners of the Ideas for Action competition from Indonesia, sponsored by the Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, during a lunch at Jon M. Huntsman Hall. Below are some takeaways of students from the conversations.

    “It was rewarding getting to meet Steven and Krisna from eLarvae in person after working with them remotely over the last few months. One of our initial suggestions to eLarvae’s proposal was to elaborate upon on their financials/business model in order to further satisfy the feasibility criteria of the competition guidelines – so during our meeting, we were able to discuss how they could go about valuing eLarvae’s two lines of business (including inputs they can begin to measure, revenue projection equations, market sizing techniques, etc.) We were really excited about the outcome of the lunch and look forward to seeing eLarvae’s future progress.” -Yani Li (W’22)

    “I truly enjoyed getting to know all the members of the Tanoto foundation that came to lunch on Tuesday. I participated in brainstorming a business plan for one group that aims to help women in Indonesia who are suffering from abuse. It was interesting to learn how they were incorporating a phone application to connect women virtually with counselors.” -Lucy Xu (ENG’23 W’23)

    “Meeting with members of the Tanoto Foundation opened my eyes to local challenges women are facing in Indonesia. I enjoyed talking to our guests about how the resources and opportunities we have at Penn can help their startups succeed and target a larger audience to create more impact.” -Beste Balki (W’20)

    Article originally posted in Ideas for Action website, link here.

    KZTC