Written by Arini Dina Yasmin, Tanoto Scholar from Brawijaya University

Last month, our team won the gold medal in the education application category at the 2019 Young Inventors Exhibition (WYIE) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

We won with SMAOTHER (Smart Mother), our stunting prevention education smartphone app – which we also named our team after.

Our SMAOTHER team is made up of eight students, three of whom are Tanoto Scholars from Brawijaya University: Adam Syarif Hidayatullah, Ismelia Novitasari, and myself, Arini Dina Yasmin.

The idea to create SMAOTHER came from Tanoto Foundation. While participating in Tanoto Foundation training activities, we listened to presentations about their various programs to improve human capital development in Indonesia.

One of Tanoto Foundation’s areas of focus is contributing to the prevention of stunting in Indonesia. We looked more deeply into stunting, and it turns out the problem is very serious and complex in Indonesia. The stunting figure is still quite high in the country – around 30.8 per cent – according to the 2018 Basic Health Research survey data from the Ministry of Health.

This inspired us to make an app to educate people on stunting prevention. We wanted to get involved, do something to help improve the quality of human resources in Indonesia.

We began the process of creating the app in March 2019. It took about two months of hard work to complete it. Each team member had a role in developing the app – data collection, content creation, or the technical process of making the app itself.

We often had to work late during that time. We even worked until dawn in the days nearing the deadline. Since starting the project, we were determined to spend time on it with the notion that we were going to create something that would be beneficial to the nation. As young people, we feel the need to be involved and offer solutions to existing issues. We can’t just stand idly by.

Our SMAOTHER application has several features. First, it contains educational information about stunting.

It also contains news and tips on maternal and child health. The app features information about pregnancy and fetal development according to age, which users can use to compare with their own pregnancies.

SMAOTHER also allows users who have children below five years old to input their biodata (including the child’s age and weight) which will be sent directly to their nearest Posyandu (Child Health Centre) so that the centre can monitor the child’s health.

We are proud because our efforts have been recognised at several regional forums. The 2019 WYIE was attended by participants from 11 countries, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Qatar, Australia and China.

Right now, we are planning to further develop SMAOTHER by releasing it to the public. We hope this small step can help the government in preventing stunting in Indonesia.

Project Sukacita is an annual volunteering program which sees participants comprising Tanoto Scholars in Singapore going to Pangkalan Kerinci in Riau.

The program, initiated by Tanoto Scholars at the Singapore Management University (SMU), has been running since 2012. In recent years, Tanoto Scholars at National University of Singapore (NUS), and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have also taken part in the program.

This year, 33 students from the three universities participated in Project Sukacita VII which ran from May 6 to 19. Their activities included visiting schools, where they interacted with children, playing with them and motivating them to learn. They also guided the students on how to lead clean and healthy lifestyles, and there was also a health screening session for the children and their parents.

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“I learned so many things from participating in this project! I’ve never joined a community service project before, so I didn’t know what to expect. But it turned out to be an extremely fun, memorable and eye-opening experience overall,” said Kelsey Rochili Santoso, Tanoto Scholar from SMU.

“I learned to more considerate and adaptive towards other cultures. Even though I’m Indonesian, I grew up in the capital city where people are more open and diverse. However, this is not the case in less developed areas like Kerinci, so I had to be more conscious of local customs in order not to offend anyone,” she added.

Meanwhile, for Chia Yi Mian, Tanoto Scholar from NUS, this year’s Project Sukacita was different from those held in previous years, because he had been appointed as Project Co-Head.

“Being part of the Project Sukacita leadership has been a very different experience from the previous year when I participated as a volunteer. Overall, it has been a valuable opportunity that allowed me to see and learn many things. It was also a platform for me to get to know other Tanoto Foundation Scholars, and to witness Tanoto Foundation’s work,” said Chia.

“I learnt that a good leader is one who walks the talk – one that leads others not just by words, but also by example. It is also very important to remember that a leader should foremost be someone who serves – not just in planning and instruction – but also in execution.

“I witnessed the power a team can have if we work together and understand each other’s weaknesses and strengths. It was a very big blessing for my team to be made up of unique individuals who complemented each other and overcame our weaknesses, while bringing our individual strengths to the table for the success of the project,” Chia added.

Vincent Wise, a participant from NTU, also gave a positive response about his experience with Project Sukacita 2019.

“It was refreshing and insightful. Being away from the city and getting to interact with children reminded me of how simple life can be. I also got to better understand the living conditions of the people of Kerinici and their health issues,” he said.

Vincent also said the project allowed him to learn about teamwork with people of different backgrounds.

“I learned how to communicate with people in a simpler way when needed, as was the case when we organised the health screenings. I also learnt a bit more on how to handle working with children,” said Vincent.