Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – June 23 2023: Speaking at the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) Global Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Belinda Tanoto, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Tanoto Foundation, highlighted the need to further catalyse different kinds of funding to address pressing social needs.

“In developing countries, it is important to mobilize different types of funding from a range of sources to address social problems. This can come from Governments, philanthropic organisations, development agencies or the private sector. Given the relatively limited availability of philanthropic capital, we need to catalyse and attract other types of funding to address social problems”.

Belinda was delivering the keynote speech at the conference, on the topic ‘Philanthropic Organisations’ Role in Catalysing Impact Investing’. Held in partnership with Yayasan Hasanah, the foundation of Khazanah Nasional, the Malaysian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the AVPN Global Conference 2023 included a dedicated ‘Impact Investing Day’, which brought together asset managers, investors and philanthropy organizations from around the region.

Ms. Tanoto highlighted the Tanoto Foundation Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, saying the professorship, supported by the initial grant by Tanoto Foundation, had become a catalyst to unlock additional investments to help address healthcare needs. “The world needs more of this type of capital – flexible, patient, long term, early stage capital, which is best provided by foundations and philanthropy organizations,” she said.

She also spoke about Tanoto Foundation’s efforts in the areas of leadership development and early childhood education and development, especially in terms of how the Foundation uses its expertise and resources to bring together stakeholders to work together to address specific challenges, such as stunting.

“In Indonesia, we work closely with both the national government, to advocate for policy reforms and systems change, as well as local governments, to strengthen their capacity to deliver services. We also actively shape the policies and programs to tackle stunting by creating working groups and forums, bringing together different stakeholders – like the World Bank, UNICEF, universities, think tanks, non-profits, corporates, to work together and build the whole field around early childhood education and development,” she said.

Separately, the Hasanah Forum, the biggest national social impact conference in Malaysia, was held in partnership with the AVPN Global Conference at the same location. Dr. J. Satrijo Tanudjojo, Global CEO, Tanoto Foundation, was among the speakers on panel discussing ‘People & Leadership: Nurturing Courageous Leaders’ at the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) Global Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this week.

In his remarks on leadership, Dr. J. Satrijo Tanudjojo said: “Courageous leadership is about having the willingness to take risks and make difficult decisions for the greater good. It’s also about having a clear vision, inspiring and empowering others, and leading by example. Philanthropy needs courageous leaders who demonstrate action, and have the vision to change systems and include diverse perspectives”.

Other speakers on the panel included: Prof. Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Executive Director, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, Sunway University Malaysia; Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Chairman, WWF Malaysia; and Dato’ Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Trustee & Managing Director, Yayasan Hasanah.

During a wide-ranging conversation with host Bayu Oktara, content creator and news presenter Ajeng Kamaratih, shared her journey to mastering four foreign languages when she was still a student of the Tarakanita Senior High School in South Jakarta. She then studied law at the University of Indonesia, and deepened her French knowledge at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

During their discussion, Ajeng and Bayu focused on literacy issues. According to Ajeng, mastery of foreign languages and law, not only enriched her life but also developed her soft skills and general knowledge which played an important role in her family life.

All of the competencies she obtained during her education years made a significant impact on her career as a professional news presenter, master of ceremony, content creator, and more importantly on her role as a wife and mother.

Majoring in the language in Tarakanita, she learned four other foreign languages – English, French, German, and Italian – apart from her native language Indonesian. She is most attracted to French because of the beauty of the language and she is fluent in German because she spent 20 hours per week learning it for a year.
Her family did not support her pursuit of language studies. “My mom questioned my choice of language studies, like many other mothers, she prefers me to choose science as my major,” said Ajeng who is also the mother of a three-year-old daughter.

When she wanted to continue her study at the University of Indonesia, she was accepted at the Faculty of Law. “When I went to the university, initially I was very interested to take the Chinese language because it can help me find a job either as a translator, tour guide or teacher,” said Ajeng who is also an experienced as a news anchor at various private TV stations.

When Bayu asked why Ajeng could become proficient in four foreign languages, she answered,” We must stick to our commitment every time we learn new knowledge. We must be committed to the new expertise. I could learn the languages because I was committed to learning them seriously.”

Reading Books for Knowledge
Ajeng strongly believes that books are the best way to acquire knowledge, as an old saying goes that a book is a window to knowledge, even in the era of the internet. “Books are windows that allow the light of knowledge. When reading a book, we can spend a few hours reading it, but on the Internet when it is not interesting it is very easy for us to change the topic,” said Ajeng who began her new career as a new content creator in September 2022.

Ajeng suggested that the books we read should align with our current interests. Additionally, it is important to be disciplined when reading, and setting a timeline to complete the book. Ajeng herself reads books on Mondays and Wednesdays before going to bed each week.

Raising Daughter
Ajeng now has a three-year-old girl from her marriage to a French national. Her husband has a strong commitment to sharing the responsibility of raising their daughter. Culturally French are very feminist. Her husband grew up where his father and mother played equal roles and responsibilities in raising kids. “It is very helpful. But sometimes there are some conflicts because we grew up in different cultures,” she said.

Her daughter reads 10 books per day. Most of the books are picture books because she is still too young for heavy reading materials. The daughter of the couple is never given gadgets and also never watches TV. It is believed by them that there are many things that she needs to explore with her senses. Their kid also learn new things through conversations and games, and hence, developing her sense of curiosity is considered to be very important by them.

“Parents must invest time in their kid even if they feel tired when accompanying their kid. When you want to have a kid, you need to be responsible as parents,” said Ajeng. “If you want to have smart kids, you must directly take part in educating them about values of life, only parents can teach it. My kid is well-prepared now, so she can go to daycare.”

Full video in Bahasa clicks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi0M6ohypZc