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  • UNICEF and Tanoto Foundation Discuss Supporting Vulnerable Children and Adolescents During a Global Pandemic

    UNICEF and Tanoto Foundation Discuss Supporting Vulnerable Children and Adolescents During a Global Pandemic

    As the devastating impacts of COVID-19 unfold across the world, existing inequalities have been exacerbated. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to these impacts, creating an urgent need for collaboration and innovation to ensure the most disadvantaged are not left behind.

    Belinda Tanoto, a Member of the Board of Trustees at the Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981 also a UNICEF partner organisation in Indonesia, joined Henrietta Fore, Executive Director at UNICEF, the United Nations agency responsible for supporting children’s rights across the world, in a recent webcast titled “New Virus, Old Inequalities” to discuss the risks the global pandemic poses to young children. Moderated by J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Head of The Philanthropy Centre for Asia Jean Sung, the two respected leaders addressed the key challenges facing children and adolescents in the wake of the global pandemic, namely healthcare and education, and the need for nation-wide collaborations to overcome these challenges.

    COVID-19 Pandemic Disruptions Impact Access To Healthcare

    Ms Henrietta Fore said the COVID-19 pandemic has caused further delays in the immunisation of children, and impaired access to clean water and health services. These are not helped by the lack of awareness in parents and the community on the importance of these health and medical care essentials.

    The pandemic also poses many worrying challenges to Indonesia’s efforts in stunting mitigation and basic education. Ms Belinda Tanoto shared in the panel discussion that the pandemic has affected poverty alleviation efforts, supply chains, as well as access to essential services to help children thrive. She said, “Community clinics are suspended and frontline workers are interrupted… It’s more important than ever that philanthropists and non-profits step up their activity.”

    Sharing from the Tanoto Foundation’s perspective, Ms Tanoto said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Foundation to deviate from the “normal” way of doing things, it has also allowed the Foundation to think out of the box and “build back better”. This includes supporting the ramped up use of technologies across schools and communities.

    Ms Tanoto cautioned that while many are now dealing with the shorter-term implications of the pandemic, we should not lose sight on the longer-term issues. This applies to increasing the vaccination rate and safeguarding the supply chain.

    Social Distancing Heightens Need for Technology Adoption For Blended Learning

    The panel agreed that the use of technology has been intensified to help the next generation thrive in the fourth industrial revolution. Ms Fore added that while many education systems around the world have not changed in the last 40 to 50 years, the pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated the adoption of new technologies.

    Ms Tanoto said that while the Tanoto Foundation believes in technology as an enabler of learning, there still exist challenges on the ground in transforming current pedagogies to fully embrace and consistently implement blended learning. Blended learning is a form of education that involves the use of electronic and online media to accompany traditional face-to-face learning. The pandemic-influenced circumstances have allowed the Tanoto Foundation to accelerate the move towards blended learning, thereby extending learning time and opportunities for children.

    Sharing insights into the Tanoto Foundation’s engagement with teachers, Ms Tanoto shared that many of them merely used social media and instant messaging to disseminate homework – an indication students were still learning passively. However, with appropriate training through programmes such as Ruang Guru and the Tanoto Foundation’s flagship PINTAR program, school administrators and educators will be better placed to nurture the various literacies in students so they may meet the demands of the fourth industrial revolution.

    Collaborations To Support Nationwide Efforts

    The discussion also touched on the importance of public-private collaboration to achieve impact at scale. In basic education, the Tanoto Foundation seeks to implement the best practices in pre-service training at scale. It is working with the Indonesian government to do so and will be assisting with nationwide implementation in a self-funded effort.

    To tackle stunting, Ms Tanoto stated it was important to invest in the first 1,000 days of life – from conception to 2 years of age. Tanoto Foundation is working with UNICEF to reach 24 million “1,000-day households” across Indonesia – an endeavour Ms Tanoto said would require a sophisticated nationwide coordination effort.

    Indonesia is among the five countries in the world with the highest number of stunting cases. While the country reduced its prevalence of stunting from 37.2 percent in 2013 to 27.7 percent in 2019, more than one in four children are stunted and unable to realise their full potential.

    “The government has the most resources to tackle the issue (of improving governance, accountability and scaling up implementation). For stunting, the Indonesian government pledged to invest 15 billion dollars over four years for over 500 districts. No foundation is able to match that. Having worked with the government, we learned there are many things on which we are aligned,” said Ms Tanoto during the panel discussion.

    There are three key points to note when working with the government, Ms Tanoto said: The first, hard evidence, robust monitoring and evaluation; second, soft influence, which is achieved through the implementation of programmes in early-adopter district governments and earning quick wins that are replicable for other districts; and third, lobbying and legislation, in which positive changes are institutionalised and sustained through fruitful partnerships.

    However, hurdles remain. Only one in three children in Indonesia have access to computers. This is why as part of the Tanoto Foundation’s drive to help develop key strategies in elevating Indonesia’s global education ranking, the Foundation is working very closely with stakeholders such as the ministry, district governments, school administrators and teachers to speed up programmes such as adoption of technologies for learning.

    “The pandemic has made a challenging situation more difficult,” Ms Tanoto concluded. “It is estimated that 1.5 to 8 million people will fall below the poverty line as a result of the pandemic, reversing a decade of progress. In addition to focusing on the shorter term consequences, we need to look at the longer-term impact. The time to act is now – we can’t wait. We want to encourage philanthropists to continue what they’re doing today, but to be ready to support disadvantaged children and communities who will also need our support far into the future.”

    To view the webcast, please go to this link: https://privatebank.jpmorgan.com/gl/en/insights/giving/supporting-children-and-adolescents-during-a-global-pandemic-with-unicef

    Learning in the safety of the classroom

    Ko Zin Thet

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  • The Importance of Evidence-based Initiatives in Stunting Prevention

    The Importance of Evidence-based Initiatives in Stunting Prevention

    Proper data is vital to understanding and solving problems, which is why an evidence-based approach is one of Tanoto Foundation’s three guiding principles, alongside a focus on impact and achieving results through partnership.

    So the first thing that Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, did after deciding to support the Indonesian government’s drive to reduce stunting was to look for accurate data.

    Information on the nutritional status of children under five is currently available at the national, provincial and district levels, based on the 2018 Basic Health Research conducted by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health. To complement this data, Tanoto Foundation is working closely with the SMERU Research Institute to develop a map of the nutritional status of children under five at the sub-district and village levels.

    The mapping will be carried out in seven districts included in 514 national priority districts for stunting reduction, namely Kutai Kartanegara (East Kalimantan), Rokan Hulu (Riau), North Lombok and West Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Pandeglang (Banten), West Pasaman (West Sumatra), and Garut (West Java). The findings from this mapping will be used to assist the government in developing a behavior change communication strategy for stunting prevention, which is one of the five pillars of the national strategy for the acceleration of stunting prevention.

    Tanoto Foundation also provides grants to Alive & Thrive, a global nutrition initiative to save lives, prevent illness and ensure healthy growth and development through improved maternal nutrition, breastfeeding and complementary feeding practice. The collaboration aims to help the government through the study ‘Exploring Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition & Early Childhood Development Practices in Indonesia’ conducted in 2019 to find practical recommendations related to communication for behavioral change regarding feeding for infants and children.

    The study, which was conducted in six districts in Indonesia in South Kalimantan, West Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, West Sumatra and West Java, provided recommendations to the Government in developing communication strategies for social change and behaviors related to breastfeeding, complementary feeding, maternal nutrition, and early childhood development.

    “In achieving a broader impact of our programs, we are collaborative, impact-oriented, and data-driven as our way of working,”

    Global CEO of Tanoto Foundation, J. Satrijo Tanudjojo.

    “In helping the Government to accelerate stunting prevention, we partnered with the SMERU Institute and Alive & Thrive to conduct studies as a basis for taking appropriate steps to reduce the burden of stunting, and ensure Indonesian children can lead healthy and productive lives. This study also led us to find more effective and efficient ways to support the government of Indonesia reducing the national stunting rate to below 20 per cent in 2024.”

    Ko Zin Thet

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  • What Is Stunting and Why It Matters

    What Is Stunting and Why It Matters

    More than one in four children in Indonesia under the age of five suffers from stunting. That’s more than the population of Jakarta, or equivalent to almost two Singapores.

    https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:6684655412039471104

    Stunted growth is caused by a lack of adequate nutrition and results in life-long health problems, from reduced IQ to greater susceptibility to diabetes and cancer. There is also a huge economic cost, with Indonesia’s Ministry of Health estimating that the prevalence of stunting costs the country 2-3% of GDP, or as much as US$27 billion each year.

    The good news is that the condition is easily preventable, but a lot of work remains if Indonesia is to achieve its target of bringing stunting down from 27.7% in 2019 to 20% by 2024.

    That’s why Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, is holding Stunting Awareness Month, to raise awareness of this condition, how to prevent it, and how to treat it in kids who are already stunted.

    What is stunting?

    Stunting is when a child fails to grow to the proper height for his or her age. The main cause is poor nutrition in pregnant women, babies and toddlers.

    Stunting is a form of malnutrition, but it’s more accurately described as under nutrition. Few people in Indonesia lack sufficient calories, but low awareness of balanced nutrition means that meals are often heavy on rice, with little protein or vegetables. Many parents also don’t understand the importance of breastfeeding, relying instead on formula which is not as nutritious for a baby.

    In some areas, lack of clean water for sanitation and personal hygiene as well as limited access to health services can exacerbate the problem.

    Stunting often begins in the womb due to a poor maternal diet, but symptoms typically don’t manifest themselves until the child is around two years old, when it becomes clear that the child is not growing as quickly as he or she should.

    Why does stunting matter?

    Stunting has huge costs for the child and for the economy. Stunted children have weakened immune systems, are more susceptible to diseases like diabetes and cancer, and are likely to die earlier than non-stunted individuals.

    Brain development is affected too, resulting in lower IQs and reduced income in adult life. According to research by the WHO children who were stunted at age two completed a year less of schooling than non-stunted individuals, and were likely to earn 20% less as adults.

    This impacts the country’s economy. The government has set a target of becoming the fifth largest economy in the world by 2045, buoyed in part by a demographic dividend from a ‘youth bulge’ entering the workforce in the coming decades. But if stunting remains at current levels, more than one quarter of those new workers will be less healthy and less productive than they should be, holding back the nation’s growth and condemning millions to poverty unnecessarily.

    What can parents do?

    Stunting is easily preventable with proper nutrition.

    Mothers need to follow a balanced diet before pregnancy starts to ensure that the proper nutrients are passed on to the fetus.

    Indonesia’s Ministry of Health recommends that a healthy meal should consist of around one third fruits and vegetables, one third carbohydrates like rice, and one third protein like meat, fish or vegetarian protein sources.

    You should also practice proper hygiene, including washing your hands with soap and water before preparing or eating food.

    Experts recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life, and husbands can play a role by supporting their wife’s decision to breastfeed.

    And once the baby starts weaning, introduce fruit and vegetables into his or her diet.

    How do you know if a child is stunted?

    Children suffering from stunting typically weigh less than 2.5kg at birth, and grow more slowly than they should. They also often start teething later than non-stunted children.

    The good news is that some of these effects can be reversed by following a balanced diet within the first 1,000 days of life, or up to the age of two.

    If you think that your child may be stunted then you should seek advice from a medical professional.

    What is the government doing?

    The government launched the First 1,000 Days of Life Movement in 2013 which focused on fulfilling nutrition for children from the pregnancy phase (270 days) to two years old (730 days).

    The government also launched the National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention in 2017, gathering 22 ministries and around US$14.6 billion commitments to implement various nutritional interventions. In 2018, this strategy targeted 100 districts with high stunting prevalence. The number of districts was increased to 160 in 2019, 360 districts in 2020, and finally all 514 districts and cities in 2021.

    In the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2020-2024, efforts to accelerate stunting reduction are one of the priorities.

    The government is aiming to get stunting under 20% in 2024, and some progress has been made. In 2007 36.8% of children were stunted, compared to 27.7% in 2019.

    What is Tanoto Foundation doing?

    Through our Early Childhood Education and Development program, we’re actively supporting the government’s efforts to prevent stunting. We invest in research that enables data-based decision making, and are working to strengthen care-giving in Indonesia to support children’s development.

    We are also a founding donor of the World Bank’s Multi Donors Trust Fund for the Indonesian Human Capital Acceleration, which provides US$2 million to help the government’s stunting prevention strategy.


    Together with the Smeru Research Institute, Tanoto Foundation is conducting a pilot study in Rokan Hulu, Riau, to map the prevalence of stunting down to the village level. These data will help inform future prevention strategies.

    Ko Zin Thet

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