Editor’s note:  As a part of Tanoto Foundation’s efforts to support the increase in access to education, the philanthropy organization works together with 35 universities and has provided more than 6,600 scholarships for all levels of education in Indonesia.

(Read: Non Binding Scholarship List)

One of the values instilled in Tanoto Foundation Scholarship recipients, or Tanoto Scholars, is social solidarity for the surrounding communities. Through Tanoto Scholars Association, Tanoto Scholars are encouraged so they are involved in activities that bring positive impacts to those around them. For Tanoto Scholars Association at Institut Pertanian Bogor, one of their social activities is “Bina Desa” or activities to nurture a village and its residents.

Three writings by IPB Tanoto Scholars on their participations in this social activity can be found here.

An Addictive Escape

Written by Ayendha Kukuh Pangesti, Tanoto Scholar of Institut Pertanian Bogor

As a Tanoto Scholar of Institut Pertanian Bogor, one of the enjoyable activities, in addition to having interesting friends, is the Bina Desa activity in Sukadamai Village.  As a program of excellence that has been conducted for more than two years, Bina Desa has not only been beneficial to the community of the Sukadamai Village but also to us, Tanoto Scholars.

We are born as a part of a community and later on we will return to the community.  But, one thing is for sure, we will return in different roles.  We understand that each child in this country has the right to a decent education. We further understand that this right has to be fulfilled, wherever the child is.  Unfortunately, there are challenges that often hamper the achievement of this goal.

On Saturday afternoon around 12.30 pm in front of the IPB campus, we, the Tanoto Scholars, gather to take part in Bina Desa program.  Each week, we visit Sukadamai Village so that the children can enjoy reading and like all types of stories and books.

At the beginning, I was just curious to know how it felt to teach small children there, especially after having heard the exciting stories from our seniors in Tanoto Scholars Association, who have already taken part in this activity earlier.

Later on,  I began to consider this activity as ‘an escape’.  From Monday through Friday, I have to be faithful to activities concerning reports, practices, and other things related to my study.  Participating in this program brings back my enthusiasm for day-to-day living.

Taking part in Bina Desa program brings me back to my childhood.  I feel very happy playing with the children and can laugh freely.  On the other hand, on the way home from that village I often think about how fortunate I am to receive full support from my family and also from Tanoto Foundation which enable me to continue my education until now.

After I leave Sukadamai Village, I somehow always have a longing to go back to the Village, as if I had left something there. The laughter of the children, their shrieks of joy when they figured out a word, sentence, or ending to a story, always pulled me back. What was previously ‘an escape’ is now an activity that fulfills my inner personal need.

For stories by other IPB’s Tanoto Scholars, please click here.

The March 2016 data released by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) shows that Indonesia has only around 1.65% entrepreneurs out of a total of 250 million populations.  This figure is still less than those of the neighboring countries, namely Singapore 7% and Malaysia 5%.

However, Indonesian people’s interest in entrepreneurship is quite high.  In South East Asia, the interest in entrepreneurship of the Indonesian community is only less than the Philippines’.   This high interest is also supported by the adequate number of human resources that can venture into the business world.

“Indonesia has an extremely high number of young people.  This is a good capital for delivering new innovations in entrepreneurship.  I challenge the youths here in Indonesia to  become entrepreneurs and produce innovations in the near future,” said dr. Boenjamin Setiawan, the founder of PT Kalbe Farma, during Tanoto Entrepreneurship Series recently.

Tanoto Entrepreneurship Series is a joint program between Tanoto Foundation and Master in Management program of the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Economy and Business.  The objective of this program is to foster entrepreneurship spirit in Indonesia, particularly amongst the students of the Program. The activity of Tanoto Entrepreneurship Series is to bring successful entrepreneurs to share their experiences so these young people can learn from them directly.

During a previous session of Tanoto Entrepreneurship Series, Joko Widodo, urged the young Indonesians to not be afraid of entrepreneurship. “Never hesitate to start a business and do not take such a long time to contemplate.  As an entrepreneur, we should be able to read market conditions.  We should know our own products well.  This is necessary for proper positioning and marketing of our products,” said Joko Widodo, who was present in the 2013 Tanoto Entrepreneurship Series in his capacity as a furniture businessman from the City of Solo.

In starting a business, a large capital is not the main thing.  Many successful entrepreneurs started their businesses from zero, including Sukanto Tanoto.  In the 2016 Tanoto Entrepreneurship Series, Ibrahim Hasan, member of the Tanoto Foundation’s Board of Governance stated that, “Sukanto Tanoto started his business in Belawan, North Sumatra, as a supplier.  Slowly, he built his business, the Royal Golden Eagle Group.  Presently, one of the main products of the Group’s subsidiary company, PaperOne, is already marketed in more than 80 countries in the world.”

(Read: Sukanto Tanoto’s Profile)

Other successful business people who took part in Tanoto Entrepreneurship Series are among others the Minister of Maritime and Fishery, Susi Pudjiastuti, founder of Mustika Ratu Tbk, Mooryati Sudibyo; President Director of Blue Bird Group, Noni Purnomo, and President Director of GarudaFood Group, Sudhamek AWS.

Written by:  Nurul Hasanah, Tanoto Foundation Riau

Pulau Padang (Padang Island) in Malacca Strait is in close proximity to Malaysia.  Administratively, Pulau Padang is located in Meranti District, Riau Province.  It takes six hours from Pekanbaru to travel to this island of 60 km length and 29 km width.

Wan Amrizal is one of the Island’s native residents. He cares a great deal about his home place and has decided to support the area’s children through teaching. Since graduating from school, he has been devoting his life as a teacher at SDN (State Primary School) 4 Mekar Delima.  Every day, after Wan Amrizal finishes his morning teaching sessions, he spends his free time in the afternoon as a tutor. Wan Amrizal, or popularly known as Pak Wan (Mr. Wan,) helps children and adults to obtain their education diplomas at the institution that he has established.

“People of Pulau Padang, especially in Tasik Putri Puyu Sub District, are very motivated to study. From the children up to the adults, they are aware of the importance of education.  However, their high drive to learn is often hampered by the limited capacity of teachers in carrying out effective  yet fun teaching and learning process,” said Pak Wan.

Pak Wan was pleased when the Tanoto Foundation started Pelita Guru Mandiri program in 2015 in Pulau Padang. In the program which aims to improve teachers’ capacity to carry out good teaching and learning process, Pak Wan was trained on contextual learning in which teaching and learning activities in the classrooms are associated with daily experiences.  Pak Wan feels that this method is extremely relevant and suitable for the condition he faces.

“I learned many new ideas from Pelita Guru Mandiri training.  This method that adapts out-of-classroom teaching learning is extremely suitable for implementation. As a result, students are more active in class and find it easier to absorb the knowledge,” said Pak Wan.

Recognizing Pak Wan’s enthusiasm and diligence, the school asked him to participate in Tanoto Foundation’s Pelita Guru Mandiri Training of Trainers held in the District’s capital, Selat Panjang, in February 2016.  Pak Wan was selected as Local Facilitator of Tanoto Foundation in each of the Pelita Guru Mandiri training sessions in Pulau Padang.

From these sessions, Pak Wan was able to make simple learning kits such as the  traditional children’s game of congklak made from coconut shell. Students can use these simple kits to learn multiplication and division. In the National Remote Areas Education Innovation Contest, out of 32 participating provinces, Pak Wan’s creation was selected as one of the six winners.