The Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, has donated food packages to support people with disabilities in Greater Jakarta, as they are commonly among the people most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charity organization, founded in 1981 by one of the country’s wealthiest men, Sukanto Tanoto, handed the packages to the chief editor of The Jakarta Post, Nezar Patria, on Monday.
The Post’s philanthropic arm, The Jakarta Post Foundation, would distribute the food to people with disabilities in Tangerang, Banten and Bekasi in West Java.
Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, under the auspices of Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC), has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) – comprising 20,000 KN95 masks, 10,000 pairs of gloves and 1,000 face shields – to HealthServe in support of their work to help the migrant worker community in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The gift is part of a larger donation by members of APC, of which Tanoto Foundation is also a member. The PPEs were today handed over to HealthServe in a virtual ceremony held via Zoom.
This gift follows the support provided to the community in Singapore by Tanoto Foundation and RGE in March and April. The previous efforts included donating 1,000,000 masks to the Courage Fund, which is the National Council of Social Service fund-raising and engagement arm of Community Chest created to provide relief and support to those affected by the COVID-19 situation; and also providing more than 100 volunteers to support Temasek Foundation’s Project #BYOBClean campaign, which distributed free hand sanitiser to Singaporean households. These activities are part of the Foundation and RGE’s wider efforts in supporting governments, communities and healthcare professionals in countries that include Indonesia, China, and Brazil.
Dr. Satrijo Tanudjojo, Global CEO, Tanoto Foundation, said: “The Tanoto Foundation recognises the efforts of the Singapore government, non-profit organisations and the community in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, including the commitment to safeguarding the health and welfare of Singapore’s migrant workers. Our PPE donation is made in the same spirit as our other efforts in countries where we implement our programmes. The Foundation may be known mostly for its initiatives in accelerating human capital development, but in the face of a public health crisis, we are equally committed to supporting communities and countries as they remove the impediments to sustainable development.”
A close-up of the donated face shields and KN95 masks – donations by Tanoto Foundation to HealthServe in support of their work to help Singapore’s migrant worker community.
Laurence Lien, CEO, Asia Philanthropy Circle, said: “APC is pleased our members have stepped up to answer the call to shore up our support system for Singapore and its migrant worker community. The PPEs are very much welcomed and we hope the factory-converted dormitories will be better resourced now.”
Tanoto Foundation is focused on improving lives through quality education and human capital development. In Singapore, the Foundation not only sponsors university scholarships, but also supports early childhood development and medical research into diseases prevalent in Asia.
HealthServe, a non-profit organisation that offers medical care, counselling, social assistance and other support to migrant workers in Singapore, will provide the PPEs to some of the 1,000-plus factory converted dormitories, which have higher resident density and are less well-resourced than purpose built dormitories. The PPEs will be used to support its operations and migrant workers when Singapore transitions out of its “circuit breaker” and into phases marked by gradual easing of restrictions.
The Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) is a membership-based platform for philanthropists to exchange, coordinate and collaborate, to advance a better Asia. Founded in 2015 by philanthropists for philanthropists, the mission is to accelerate private action for the public good by addressing systemic challenges through collaborative philanthropy. APC believes that strategic and engaged philanthropists can be the change agents needed to address Asia’s social challenges.
During the virtual PPE hand-over ceremony, APC Director Stacey Choe (left) and Tanoto Foundation Global CEO Dr Satrijo Tanudjojo (3rd from left) were taken on a tour of HealthServe’s operations by Executive Director Michael Cheah, with the support of Head of Medical Services Dr Benjamin Kuan (2nd from left) and Finance & Operations Head Lawrence Kwok (2nd from right).
About Tanoto Foundation
Tanoto Foundation is an independent philanthropic organization founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto based on the belief that every person should have the opportunity to realize his or her full potential. Tanoto Foundation programs stem from the belief that quality education accelerates equal opportunity. We harness the transformative strength of education to realize people’s full potential and improve lives. Tanoto Foundation focuses on making an impact in three areas: improving learning environments, future leaders development, as well as medical research and sciences.
(Illustration photo was taken by Tanoto Foundation in 2019)
The COVID-10 pandemic has caused a shift in the way we do things, with our homes now being the center for many of our activities. This situation is a new reality for how education is being conducted, including early childhood education (PAUD).
Teachers, students and parents are all living a “new normal” of learning by using information technology and electronic media so that teaching and learning can still take place. And in such a context, all parties are expected to be able to optimally carry out their respective roles in the teaching and learning process.
Due to this, Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, through our Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) program (which orients towards early childhood care to prepare school-ready generations) collaborated with the Ministry of Education and Culture to hold a webinar activity themed “Teaching and Learning Process with Limited Information Technology” on Monday (April 27).
Eddy Henry, Tanoto Foundation Head of ECED, opened the event which had speakers comprising Prof. Netty Herawati (Chairperson of HIMAPAUDI), Yuli Yana (Manager for a PAUD in Aceh Besar), Wendelina (PAUD Teacher in Timor Tengah Selatan), Farida Yusuf (IGTKI) and Siti Latifa (IGRA). Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Culture were also part of the speaker panel, and included Dr. Muhammad Hasbi (PAUD Director) and Abdoellah, MPd (Acting Director of PAUD Teacher Development and Education Personnel). The Ministry of Religious Affairs was represented by Siti Sakdiyah, MPd (Head of Islamic Kindergarten Sub-Unit).
In his opening remarks, Eddy explained that the initiative was initially encouraged by the Ministry of Education and Culture and Tanoto Foundation had taken up the call by carrying out the webinar, citing its concern for the gaps in access to the Internet, capacity to use learning applications, and financial capabilities, in each region.
“Various challenges faced by early childhood education institutions at the kindergarten level during this pandemic can be resolved immediately and the proposals raised in this discussion can later help reach a wider community,” he said. “We can press the PAUSE button for some activities, but we cannot do it in terms of the growth of our children.”
Meanwhile, Prof. Netty Herawati stressed the importance of Freedom of Learning so that both teachers, parents and students can enjoy the education process at home.
“This is the time to make everyone happy by better understanding what the basic needs of children are while fulfilling the main goals of PAUD: upholding religion and inculcating values such as courtesy, willingness towards worship, and filial piety. Don’t stress because parents have to fill the learning plan forms and teachers have to report what they did to the Ministry of Education and Culture,” she said.
Dr. Hasbi explained the efforts made by the ministry to address the situation during the Covid19 pandemic, including ensuring how all parties are utilizing a variety of learning applications, such as Anggun PAUD, Friends of Families and Learning Center (for families who have access to technology). Children in households without access to online technology can utilize TVRI (national television).
“What if they can’t access the internet and TVRI? We still need to retain the same principals – firstly to ensure the happiness of children while they learn. Second, to ensure the safety of students, parents and teachers. Visits to homes to install the required Internet technology can be done so long as the area concerned is not within the pandemic emergency protocol (red zone), ” he said.
“The Minister of Education and Culture’s Order No. 20/2020 is also expected to help the learning from home process, because it directs that school funds be used to (1) purchase data packages/internet quota for teachers and students (2) purchase required learning platforms. The respective heads of units have discretion on how to cover the cost of transport and honorariums for teachers,” Dr Hasbi said, in closing the session.
You can find the presentations in the links below:
