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  • Project Sukacita VIII 2021: Serving Children and Migrant Workers

    Project Sukacita VIII 2021: Serving Children and Migrant Workers

    Held in accordance with safe distancing measures, Project Sukacita in 2021 was rolled out in two instalments to support children in North Sumatra, Indonesia, as well as migrant workers in Singapore.

    Founded, led and coordinated by Tanoto Scholars, Project Sukacita is an annual community service program that brings together Tanoto Scholar volunteers from the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and Singapore Management University. In previous editions of Project Sukacita, the scholars visited rural communities in Pangkalan Kerinci to conduct programs aimed at raising awareness on health, nutrition, hygiene, sanitation, and education.

    Project Sukacita 2021’s first instalment saw the scholars interacting with three-to-eight-year old children from four partner schools in Bloksongo and Besitang, North Sumatra. Conducted for the first time through live video conferencing in August-September 2021, the team helped raise awareness on matters related to dental health, nutrition, personal hygiene, and learning the English language. The sessions were accompanied by sing-a-longs, colourful visuals, and video demonstrations – educating and delighting the children at the same time.

    Following that, in November 2021, Tanoto Scholars partnered HealthServe, a social service agency supporting the migrant worker community in Singapore. This marked the first time Project Sukacita was held in Singapore.

    Together with HealthServe, the Project Sukacita team conducted two sessions in early November with the migrant workers, sharing useful information on pandemic-related best practices, chronic diseases, personal hygiene, and workplace safety. These educational materials by Tanoto Scholars were further distributed to over 7,000 migrant workers together with care packs.

    Hear from our scholars!

    Rachel Tan, NUS Medicine, M2

    This year’s edition of Project Sukacita has shown me how it is still possible to carry out meaningful volunteer work even amidst the pandemic. Seeing the bright smiles on the children’s face really warms my heart and reminds me of the power of a single action to brighten someone else’s day.

    Shaik Mohideen Shemin Ayesha, NUS Medicine, M2

    Through Project Sukacita, I was able to contribute to our migrant worker community! Although we only interacted with the migrant brothers for a few hours, we managed to educate them on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. We even answered some of their queries regarding chronic diseases and nutrition. Overall, it was a fruitful experience! By joining Project Sukacita, my soft skills such as communication and teamwork also improved!

    Saw Lip Wei, NUS Medicine, M2

    Since joining Tanoto Foundation in M1, I have heard a lot about Project Sukacita from seniors and alumni about how meaningful the project is for them volunteering overseas. Although for my year we did not get the opportunity to travel and meet with the beneficiaries physically due to Covid-19 constraints, I am heartened that we were still able to serve through online platforms. This exemplifies the spirit that even when faced with constraints and barriers, we can always continue to strive to help and serve others, albeit in different ways. As a Tanoto scholar, I thought the brief experience volunteering with Project Sukacita was meaningful, as it aligned with both my values as well as Tanoto Foundation’s belief in giving back to others, in addition to empowering education.

    Rachel Ong Li Lin, NUS Medicine, M3

    I had the honour of being part of the Project Sukacita 2021 team and despite the evolving Covid-19 situation and that we could not be physically in Indonesia this year, it was amazing to have witnessed how the team managed to adapt to conduct the sessions online while also being able to preserve the missions of what Project Sukacita aims to bring about. It was such a great joy when the Indonesian students interacted and responded to our questions despite the language barrier. Besides, it was heartening when the migrant brothers from HealthServe opened up to share their personal stories and although our interactions may be short, we hope that our partners took away some insights from our sharings.

    Ko Zin Thet

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  • Marshanda Shares Her Experiences on How She Dealt with Bullying

    Marshanda Shares Her Experiences on How She Dealt with Bullying

    Bullying affects many kids, but it remains quite taboo to discuss. In this episode of Bincang Inspiratif our host Susan Tanugraha discusses this important topic with popular Indonesian artist Andriani Marshanda, better known as Marshanda.

    She discusses her personal experience of being bullied, how to spot it, and how it impacts the victims.

    This episode covers:
    1. Raising awareness towards bullying
    2. Effects on victims of bullying
    3. Cyberbullying in the digital age
    4. How to protect your kids from bullying

    Raising Awareness of Bullying

    There are many incidents of bullying around us that go unnoticed by both the victim and the perpetrator. This is due to a lack of awareness of bullying behavior around us. Oftentimes, people dismiss bullying behavior as something trivial.

    Therefore, bullying became normalized and can even be considered as being friendly, or a way to lighten up the mood. In this case, it’s important to educate people and increase awareness of what is considered as bullying behavior and how to deal with it.

    Social Effects on Bullying Victims

    Marshanda shared her experience as a victim of bullying as a child, and how it had impacted her even into adulthood. She admits to being very introverted and having a hard time in social situations. This impact varies depending on a person’s mental condition and support in the surrounding environment.

    Marshanda also admits that it took a very long time until she felt comfortable in social situations or interactions. It was a long journey of educating herself with knowledge about bullying until she can share it with all of us in this episode of Bincang Inspiratif.

    Cyberbullying in the Digital Age

    Especially with the rise of social media today, it is easier for someone to hide behind anonymity. Practically anyone can be a victim and perpetrator of bullying in the digital age.

    We should be aware of how we behave online, and how to express opinions properly. Regarding this, Marshanda taught her eight-year-old daughter that hate comments often come from those who are unhappy in their lives, and are not a reflection of who we truly are. She hopes that knowing this, her daughter can protect herself from hate speech on the internet.

    How to Protect Ourselves from Bullying

    Marshanda also shares some tips for dealing with bullying around us. The first is to recognize the bullying behavior itself: when we feel uncomfortable with someone’s actions or words then it is bullying behavior and we have the right to protect ourselves. The second is to set boundaries for others and tell them if we cannot tolerate their actions.

    It is also important to educate and increase awareness about bullying not only to victims and perpetrators but also to parents and teachers. Because when bullying occurs in the educational environment, students will tend to look for someone from higher authorities like parents or teachers to protect them. We, as adults, have the responsibility to recognize when it happens and should not put the blame on the victims and side with the bully because of our lack of knowledge about the topic.

    Ko Zin Thet

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  • TSAN 2021: Tanoto Scholars Discuss Leadership and Resilience

    TSAN 2021: Tanoto Scholars Discuss Leadership and Resilience

    On 16 December 2021, Tanoto Scholars in Singapore gathered for the Tanoto Scholars Annual Networking event with strict health protocol. It is the first offline event since 2019.

    Hosted by Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981. Fueled by the belief that quality education speeds up equal opportunities, the foundation aims to increase the quality of life through three pillars of focus: improving the learning environment, developing future leaders, as well as supporting research in the medical field.

    Several key figures opened TSAN 2021, namely Tin Pei Ling, CEO of Chinese non-profit business and parliament member for MacPherson SMC, along with National Youth Council (NYC) CEO David Chua, NUS School of Medicine representative Yong Loo Lin, as well as representatives from NTU and SMU.

    (Ms Tin shares insights on leadership, service, and resilience)

    Titled “The Road to Resilience”, the event was packed with sharing experiences and Q & A session with Ms. Tin who has experience as a young leader. The event inspires Tanoto Scholars to be tough and resilient.

    Tanoto Foundation Executive Advisor Bey Soo Khiang and Tanoto Foundation Global CEO Dr. J. Satrijo Tanudjojo then led the scholarship award ceremony and greeted new Tanoto Scholars joining the Tanoto Scholars Alumni committee.

    (Mr. Bey Soo Khiang and members of the Tanoto Scholars Association Singapore)

    Prior to the event, Dr. Tanudjojo and Mr. Chua in August 2021 met up to discuss building future leaders. Guests and Tanoto Scholars at TSAN 2021 also participated in the launch of BEACON program, a leadership development program from Tanoto Foundation Singapore. Aside from scholarship funds, BEACON or ‘Be Engaged and Actively Contribute to The Nation’ is also about learning from experience, as well as network and public service.

    In addition, Tanoto Foundation partners up with three popular universities in Singapore, NUS, NTU, and SMU, to support and drive the growth of Tanoto Scholars.

    Find out more about Leadership Program from Tanoto Foundation here: https://www.tanotofoundation.orgfuture-leaders/

    Ko Zin Thet

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