Some may consider that 2020 was the worst year in living memory. Well, it’s not entirely wrong.

In Indonesia, we welcomed 2020 with the worst rainfall in over a decade, which caused severe flooding in Greater Jakarta.

In March, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the archipelago, affecting every aspect of our lives. Within a short period of time, after President Joko Widodo announced the first COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, we had to face new realities that children should start learning from home, emergency rooms were full and medical workers were battling the spike in coronavirus cases.

It’s times like these that make philanthropy even more important. Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, based on the belief that every person should have the opportunity to realize his or her full potential.

Tanoto Foundation took action to help mitigate the health crisis while also making changes to our programs to ensure they could function effectively under changing circumstances.

Last year, we distributed assistance totalling IDR157 Billion (US$11.1M) to support a diverse range of education and human capital development social programs, an increase from IDR155 billion (US$10.9M) in 2019.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we answered the urgent call for humanitarian support across our countries of operation for PPE and testing equipment, together with RGE Group and our partners.

We continued to develop 22 Rumah Anak SIGAP parenting and early learning centers for children up the age of three in Jakarta, Kutai, Kartanegara, and Pandeglang. Meanwhile, in China, our rural community-based HOPE program continued to garner support and we remain on track to scale to 100 early childhood centers.

Our Basic Education teams ramped up efforts in raising the capacities of school administrators and educators by empowering local facilitators. We hosted remote conferences and utilized social media to assist teachers and school principals in adapting to remote learning. Our efforts reached 3,096 teachers, administrators, and parents, benefitting 185,037 students.

For the first time, we held our TELADAN scholarship recruitment entirely online. The team had to work hard to ensure the selection process went smoothly and that candidates were given a fair chance, and in the end it paid off, as we were able to select 172 new TELADAN Scholars from a total of 10,895 applicants.

Looking back, we realise there are so many things that we can learn from the past year. All our efforts to adapt with the new realities and collaborations with various parties had helped us to get through one of the toughest years in history.

Therefore, allow us to share the Tanoto Foundation’s Annual Report 2020. For us, this report is not meant to showcase our achievements, but it serves as a source of inspiration and a reminder to keep the spirit up to get through the challenges we face.

You can access the full report via this link.

Pojok PINTAR is a casual talk show that discusses various topics related to the development of Basic Education in Indonesia. The program is hosted by Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981.

Many parents still think that learning from home means textbooks, homework and no devices more sophisticated than a pocket calculator. 

But the education system was changing even before learning from home began, and the past year has seen devices like laptops and tablets become central to learning.

So how can you ensure your kids are working and not playing games? And how can you help them navigate this new learning environment?

In the second episode of Pojok PINTAR, our host, Jerry Arvino, meets Tari Sandjojo, Psychologist and Academic Director of Sekolah Cikal, and Golda Simatupang, Education Specialist from Tanoto Foundation, to discuss online learning at home and what parents need to develop a good relationship with their children.

This episode covers:

a. What parents need to prepare before assisting their children in using digital platforms for school
b. What are the obstacles that teachers and parents face in digital learning
c. Does lack of socialization impact children’s mental health
d. Tips and advice for parents while helping children learning online

Hone your digital skills 

While dealing with online learning, Golda said that parents should be aware that the education system had changed.

She explained that the current situation forced parents to relearn how to use technological devices. 

She said that parents had to position themselves as their child’s friend and go through the difficult learning process together.

“Parents should be able to understand technology and lower their ego [while learning the technological devices],” added Tari. She encouraged parents to ask their children about the tech features they don’t understand. 

Building trust

Some parents face a dilemma while letting their children accessing the internet without supervision. On one hand, allowing children to study online on their own would help free up the parents’ time, particularly if they are also working from home. On the flip side, parents are scared that the internet would have a negative impact. 

Golda suggested to establish trust between parents and children. 

Meanwhile, Tari encouraged parents to let their children studying online without supervision, but to ensure that they are available to help. 

With regard to negative impact of the internet, Tari recommended parents set boundaries while going online.

Get to know more http://bit.ly/OrangTuaDalamEraPendidikanDigital

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg and American business magnate Bill Gates are two well-known figures in their fields. Having produced many popular films, Spielberg is currently one of the richest people in Hollywood. Meanwhile, Gates is known as the man behind Microsoft and the world’s third-richest person. However, behind their success, Spielberg and Gates have both experienced failures.

Before becoming a director, Spielberg was rejected from University of Southern California. As for Gates, he was a Harvard dropout and his first business, Traf-O-Data, was unsuccessful.

However, both of them managed to turn failure into success. Do you want to know their secrets? Read on.

Resilience

Spielberg wanted to be a filmmaker since he was a child. Unfortunately, Spielberg’s academic grades weren’t good enough, causing him to get rejected three times by the University of Southern California.

But he didn’t stop. He tried to apply to California State University and also continued to make films to hone his skills, which brought him to the attention of Universal Studios vice-president Sidney Sheinberg. 

On your way to success, you will encounter various obstacles. But, the most important thing is how you learn from the mistakes and keep moving forward. 

As Spielberg once said, “You have many years ahead of you to create the dreams that we can’t even imagine dreaming. You have done more for the collective unconscious of this planet than you will ever know.”

Strong determination

Talent is not the only key to success, you need to have a strong determination. 

In the early 1970s Gates and his colleagues, Paul Allen and Paul Gilbert, founded Traf-O-Data, which read raw data to analyze data traffic. While Traf-O-Data could produce a good analysis, the company failed to stay afloat.

However, the failure did not stop Gates from honing his skills and continuing his passion in making software. He then established Microsoft and the rest is history.

This strong determination is the key to Gates’ success. As he said, “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

Resilience and strong determination are among the characters of Grit, which we have explained in the previous article. Tanoto Foundation believes that grit, the ability to persist in something you feel passionate about and persevere when facing obstacles, is one of the keys to success.   

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Tanoto Foundation is an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981.

Get to know more about our Founder here.