When we opened a kindergarten and primary school in Besitang, North Sumatra in 1981, close to our business operations at the time, our goal was simple: to help local children get a good start in life with quality education.

This was the beginning of Tanoto Foundation.

Since then, we have remained focused on education. Unfortunately, we were not being able to finish our own formal education–not by choice but by circumstances. Losing access to formal education at a young age left a profound impact on both of us. We have always believed that education accelerates equal opportunity–it opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities.

By improving educational standards and encouraging lifelong learning, we can help change the lives of families and communities for the better. Our hope has always been for the people who benefited from our support to pay it forward and help others in their communities as well. 

Tanoto Foundation has grown its operations over the years, and now focuses its efforts in three main areas: education, leadership development and healthcare. We have also expanded our presence and now operate programs in Singapore and China, in addition to Indonesia.

Yet we remain focused on our mission, to harness the transformative power of education to realize people’s full potential and to improve lives. As such, we are pleased that we have continued to expand and improve our programs in areas such as early childhood and basic education.

For example, we continued to help address gaps in early childhood education in Indonesia and China. We have worked with the Indonesian government for almost a decade in reducing stunting in the country, making significant progress in those and we will continue to support this through our work with governments and other stakeholders.

We are proud of the Foundation’s achievements and would like to express our thanks to all our partners and stakeholders who share our values and continue to work with us to deliver real positive change.

We are also honored to be able to work with local and national government agencies to support their social and development targets. In particular, we would like to thank the community leaders, NGOs, teachers, and trainers who work with us every day to improve lives.

This is our fifth decade in operation, and our commitments remain the same. We want to improve lives, enhance communities, and help people realize their full potential. We also want to work with partners to scale up programs for maximum impact. We will stay focused on our mission, with the same spirit and values that have guided us this far. 

Sincerely,

Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto