There was nothing in Sri Wahyun’s childhood to suggest she would go on to become an award-winning teacher and principal of one of the most successful schools in Sumatra’s Riau province. Born to parents who worked the land, the family was forced to leave home in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, in late the 1980s to seek better economic opportunities.

“Alhamdulillah (Thank God), it’s not always easy because we have to deal with challenges and obstacles every now and then, but we pray every day and do our best,” Sri, 46, said during Tanoto Foundation’s recent visit to her house in Pangkalan Kerinci.

Sri has been the principal of the SDN 09 Buatan Baru, one of the province’s best elementary schools, for almost 10 years now. The 228-pupil school is a model of quality and success for every other school in the area. As a proof of the school’s quality, the government awarded it a top ranking in its 2016 national assessment. But Sri is modest about the school’s success. “I don’t know why every state official and companies refer us as the model for good quality school. Also, every important guest coming to the area will be taken this school. Of course I am very proud as the principal but we still have many things to work on,” she said. Stressing that many parties have done their part in making her and the school a success story, she underlined the important contribution of Tanoto Foundation, which has been providing assistance for several years.

Founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto, the Foundation supports efforts to improve quality of education in rural areas of Indonesia. One of the Foundation’s activities, Pelita Guru Mandiri, provides ongoing training for teachers to improve education quality and classroom management. Tanoto Foundation also built facilities such as a new water tower, an improved library, and renovated the existing classrooms. The training, Sri said, has greatly improved the quality of the lessons and the children’s enjoyment of them. “We thank Tanoto Foundation for all of its help. As of now, almost every teacher has joined the training, helping us become one of the province’s best schools,” Sri said.

Outside of the school, Sri nurtures a happy and healthy family with a son and daughter. Her husband is an employee of a local government office. Her son is finishing his education at the School of Government’s Officials (IPDN) while her daughter is at junior high school in Pekanbaru, the province’s capital.

“I am very proud of them. My children have grown to become smart and healthy people now. They all have high achievements in school. I hope they have much better life than our own and their grandparents,” she said while remembering the time when everything was still very difficult. Born in 1970 to a poor family in poverty-stricken Gunung Kidul, Sri joined a teacher school but her father, a manual laborer, struggled to pay for her tuition. When, in 1987, the government offered the family places in a transmigration program to Riau, her parents accepted the opportunity of having their own land to cultivate. “It’s the only way to get out of poverty,” she said. She, however, had to stay in Java to finish her education. She then joined her parents in Riau two years later as soon as she graduated. She worked her way up until in 2007 she was appointed as Principal of SDN 09 Buatan Baru, which at that time was struggling and had poor facilities.

“It was not easy to develop the school into its current state. But thank God, Tanoto Foundation came and offered its training and facilities,” she said.

And the rest, as they say, is history. “As my parents’ and my own journey from Gunung Kidul have shown that we can only be successful by working hard, we hope our children can follow our path. We also hope that all these blessings will not blind us as we try to work hard and pray every day,” she said.

Jakarta has witnessed rapid growth over the past decade, but the provision of children’s playgrounds and other community facilities has struggled to keep pace.

In Tebet Barat, South Jakarta, children had to play in the narrow alleyways, while adults had few places to meet during their leisure time.

Tanoto Foundation helped redress the balance by supporting a new playground and community centre in the heart of this busy neighborhood.

The 2,400 square meter RPTRA (Child Friendly Integrated Public Space) Akasia facility includes a children’s playground, library, gardens, sports pitches and a multi-purpose room which can be used for classes and events.

“With the existence of RPTRA Akasia, we hope children in Tebet Barat and the surrounding areas can play and learn so that they can grow and develop well,” said Sihol Aritonang, Head of Tanoto Foundation Executive Board. “Also for the parents, we hope they can gather together, socialize, and come up with ideas for positive activities from this place.

“Our support is in line with the principles of the founders of Tanoto Foundation, Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto. They believe that learning does not always have to occur in classrooms, but can also occur in our surrounding environment.”

RPTRA Akasia even features a shop to enable local women to sell snacks that they make or handicrafts, thereby earning additional income to support their families.

The project comes as part of Tanoto Foundation’s commitment to education, empowerment of local communities, and enhancement of quality of lives. It also supports several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including a drive for sustainable cities and communities, and supporting quality education.

“We believe that education, which is of quality and can be easily accessed, should be available to people of all ages.  This belief is also in line with target number 4 of the SDGs, which is Quality Education,” said Sihol Aritonang

Tanoto Foundation’s support for RPTRA Akasia is the latest of several projects in Jakarta. To date, Tanoto Foundation has supported seven early childhood education centers to ensure the city’s youths have the opportunity to develop and grow in conducive environment.

In addition to its work in Jakarta, Tanoto Foundation supports more than 300 schools across the country, providing facilities and training to enhance the quality of education.

I’m Jessica Chandra from the Singapore Management University, and this is my third year being a part of Project Sukacita, a community service project supported by Tanoto Foundation.

For Project Sukacita V, my role is that of a mentor to the project leader, and what motivates me going back to Pangkalan Kerinci again and again for the project is mainly the heart-warming feeling I get from the interaction with the locals.

Through the various activities we had, it was nice to see the smiles of the local children and their eagerness to learn and participate in the activities. Even though it was a mere five days spent with them, they have grown to fully trust us within a short span of one or two days and eventually grown more attached to us as the days went by. For me, it was satisfying and rewarding whenever we managed to put a smile on their faces.

One of the most thought-provoking incident I had throughout this trip would be when I saw and realised the significance of family background on child’s growth. As we carried out our children’s developmental assessments, we noticed that many of the children still fell behind the norms they were supposed to exhibit for their age. For example, it struck me that many still did not know the proper way of holding a pen and to imitate the drawing of shapes.

One child however stood out from the rest with developmental abilities that surpassed children of her age, and she was way more responsive then her peers. This particular girl turned out to be a daughter of the local teacher, which perhaps partially explained why she had an edge over her peers. It then got me to think about how guidance from parents or even nannies would greatly affect the development of children and even their motivation to learn new things.

This further emphasised the importance of proper education for the children in order for them to be on the same level as their peers as they enrol into primary schools in the future.

All in all, I believe there is still a lot to be done in order to truly improve the quality of life of the locals in Pangkalan Kerinci. Project Sukacita serves as a good avenue to make an impact towards this movement but it is itself limited in so many areas.

My hope for Project Sukacita is to keep improving in order to tailor to the needs of the locals and give it its best ability in its impact to the locals.

Project Sukacita has always been a reminder to myself and my fellow Indonesian peers who are receiving a prestigious education in Singapore that there is still a long way to go for the betterment of Indonesian education, and that we all should strive to contribute positively towards the climb

Editor’s Note: Jessica Chandra is a Tanoto Foundation Scholar who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Management, Finance (International Trading) at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU