From the Heart of a Tanoto Scholar

From left to right: Daniel Igor (volunteer from SMUKI [SMU Komunitas Indonesia in Singapore Management University]), Valencia Elvina Wijaya (volunteer from SMUKI), Mario Samanta (volunteer from SMUKI), Cindy Pratiwi Arsjad (Tanoto Scholar), Jessica Veronica Dewi Chandra (Tanoto Scholar)

Project Sukacita (‘Project of Joy’) was pioneered in 2012 by a group of fellow SMU Tanoto Scholars. Since then, Project Sukacita has become a tradition for Tanoto Scholars. The community service project supports the Tanoto Foundation’s vision and mission of alleviating poverty through education, empowerment, and enhancement of quality of lives.

From 8 to 12 December 2014, Tanoto Scholars Cindy Pratiwi Arsjad, Joshua Jo, and me, - all volunteers from the SMU Indonesian Club – together withTanoto Scholars from the NUS School of Medicine embarked on Project Sukacita III, an expedition to Pangkalan Kerinci in Riau, Indonesia.

Valencia Elvina Wijaya (volunteer from SMUKI) assisting NUS medical students as they conduct development assessment on the children 

We spent a lot of time providing health checks to the children in the childcare centre. The health checks focused on assessing the developmental stages of the children. We attended to children from eight months to eight years old. As the days progressed, we discovered that most of the children in that area are underweight. Some of the medical students even diagnosed serious health problems in some of the children. We referred these children to the local doctors, reminding their caregivers of the children’s problems. 

A highlight of the trip was teaching the children proper hygiene practices, such as the proper way of washing their hands and brushing their teeth. With the help of the Tanoto Scholars from Indonesia, we were able to reach out to these children through songs, making the whole process into a sing-along session so that they can remember better the hygiene steps. 

Children looking in curiosity at the media crew’s DSLR

We will not forget how the children’s faces lit up when they received their hygiene packs, consisting of a new toothbrush and toothpaste, towel, and nail clipper. The joy on their faces was priceless and one of the most valuable takeaways from our trip.

From left to right: Cindy Pratiwi Arsjad (Tanoto Scholar) and Valencia Elvina Wijaya (volunteer from SMUKI) taking a group photo with the beneficiaries

From left to right: Cindy Pratiwi Arsjad (Tanoto Scholar) and Valencia Elvina Wijaya (volunteer from SMUKI) engaging with the children 

We believe that sustainable volunteerism is the key to impactful community development. We hope that in the following years, Project Sukacita will gain even more traction not only among the Tanoto scholars, but also other volunteers who are interested in building the community in Kerinci.

From left to right: Daniel Siboro (volunteer from SMUKI) and Joshua Jo (Tanoto Scholar) with beneficiaries

About Tanoto Foundation

Founded by Mr. Sukanto Tanoto and Mrs. Tinah B. Tanoto, Tanoto Foundation strives to be a center of excellence in poverty alleviation through education, empowerment, and enhancement of quality of lives. Tanoto Foundation’s mission is to work with communities and partners to address root causes of poverty in countries where the Tanoto family has significant presence.

To date, Tanoto Foundation has provided over 20,000 scholarships, built several schools and education facilities that produced 27,000 graduates, developed 60,000 hectares of Community Livelihood Plantations and created more than 1,800 jobs in local communities through Small to Medium size Enterprise (SME) programs. Tanoto Foundation also donates to notable research programmes and disaster relief activities, with an aim to improve the quality of lives of society at large.

Contributed by Jessica Veronica Dewi Chandra

Tanoto Scholar from Lee Kong Chian School of Business