RGE Group and Local Community Development in Kerinci

We know Mr. Sukanto Tanoto as one of great businesspersons in Indonesia, whose business is popular worldwide, is also one of respectable philanthropists. The RGE group of the Tanoto’s company produces from the natural resources taken from the very fertile Indonesia’s land, Kerinci. Sukanto Tanoto who is recorded to have more than $15 billion of shares in the company, also feels that it is important to keep the environment in which he does business safe and sound, taking good care of the forests and the local community themselves. Palm oil, pulp, fiber, wood, and more natural sources are taken from Kerinci, thus it is important to take a good care of its surrounding environment.

Local Community of Kerinci Took Benefits from the Business

Let us say, it is a win-win situation. Sukanto Tanoto does his business by utilizing natural resources in Kerinci, while the community also gets benefits from that. The local people have great needs because the members of the family work, and their livelihood greatly depends on the operation of the company. However, it does not necessarily mean that the company only takes, and not gives back.

Kerinci is known as one of major places for the Tanoto’s company’s operation in Asia Pacific, in which the total production has reached almost 3 million tons per year. With the integrated and innovative process of paper and pulp mill, the paper production is more than 800.000 tons a year. Maintaining safe operation and environmentally sustainable principal is very critical in order to have the business run for a long time, and give back the local community what they deserve.

Maintaining the environment by safe operation

It is indeed natural for Sukanto Tanoto and his companies to give back to the local community at Kerinci judging by what they ‘take’ from the place. We know that there are lots of negative articles saying that RGE group only wastes the nature and is responsible for the damage around Kerinci.

The actual thing is that the company helps local community to grow and achieve better living. The company saves the environment by reusing the waste from the mill operation, turns it into power plants, and provides free electricity to the local people of Kerinci. In addition, the company also gives free and advantageous entrepreneurial skills to the people, teaching local farmers, and provides clean water. With daily assessment, Sukanto Tanoto and his executive team make sure that every operation is environmentally safe and sustainable for the future generation.

Tanoto Foundation and Its Innovative Joint Projects

The consistency of Sukanto Tanoto in helping Indonesian government to achieve better educational system surely cannot be underestimated. Through his foundation, various innovative projects, academic programs, technology and business-based research as well as social charities are often held. Not only that, cooperation with international academic institutions is following the founder’s dream to make better education in Indonesia.

Understanding the importance of education in shaping a civilized and sophisticated society, Tanoto Foundation gives support to students with excellent ability with limited financial means to attend higher education and follow their dream. It is clear that the joint program with international institutions through internship and partnership can surely elevate the motivation of students to work even harder.

Partnership with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

As an alumnus of the Wharton School, Mr. Tanoto has cooperation with the institution. Recently, you can see Aderson Tanoto, a son of Sukanto Tanoto, recently welcomed dozens of MBA candidate students of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Kerinci Central Nursery. The visit was aimed to introduce that the RGE Company of Mr. Tanoto sustains the growth and maintenance of environment, using environmentally sound methods to perform operation.

During the visit, the students were also presented with innovative methods in seedling and cutting the leaves, as well as a tour to the plantation. The company is surely applying a safe method in day-to-day operation, benefit the forest and include policies that protect the environment. The student members also learned from the local people about the Foundation’s role in helping local community to grow, providing infrastructure and giving knowledge, as well as giving opportunity to learn about sustainability and empowerment efforts.

Tanoto Foundation Donates to SingHealth Duke-NUS

With respect to the development in health science, recently, Tanoto Foundation gave generous $3-million donation to the SingHealth Dune-NUS. Mr. Tanoto understands that heart disease is one of major death causes in Asia, and he wants to provide an advanced technique in preventing and curing the disease through various researches.

The donation also marks the start of partnership in cardio disease medication with the foundation and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS) and the SingHealth Group. The main project that highlights the professorship in cardio medicine is to develop innovative research for genetics stem cell. The donation is expected to help the researchers in developing most advanced technology to detect and prevent cardio diseases earlier and better. With this new partnership, we can expect a lot of more better things come out from Sukanto Tanoto himself and the Tanoto Foundation.

Tanoto Foundation Commits as Assistance to Indonesian Education

Recent studies by the Asian Development Bank show that Southeast Asia nations including Indonesia are predicted to be unable to cope with the future world competition if they are unable to provide better education system to score brilliant generations who can do well in their professional work. This problem has become a main concern of Sukanto Tanoto so that he built the Tanoto Foundation in order to assist the government’s job in providing better quality of education to be accessible to all people. Such a tight competition of 21^st century it is, and our country should be prepared to face the future global competition. However, how can we do that without a ‘proper’ education?

Tanoto Foundation Educational Partnership and Funding

In addition to the report above, Indonesia needs to elevate its efforts in order to provide excellent quality of education that is relevant to the future market’s needs in a global-based community and step up the game. If ideally, a country should place at least 10 of the members to join and work in the science and technology-related sector, Indonesia is only capable to employ just 1 person. The gap is probably due to the lack of human resources who attend higher education and have the facility. A country should at least have 10 research-oriented universities in order to achieve the goal. The consistency is necessary not only from the government, but also from the country’s respective citizens to help improving higher quality of education.

In this regard, one of Indonesia’s most respective businessmen, Sukanto Tanoto, has worked continuously to dedicate himself as assistance to Indonesian education through his foundation. Along with his family, Tanoto Foundation has, until today, donated and funded more than 15 billion rupiah to support the education by giving scholarship and conduct internship, training, and partnership as well. Adequate facilities are needed by the students and teachers, encouraging local communities, and push the growth of national business.

Not only does the foundation fund the public and private educational sectors, it also has visited numerous areas and added to the high-level development programs in Indonesia that will be beneficial to the scholars and business. Take an example of Tanoto Foundation cooperation with The Wharton School of Pennsylvania that is aimed to strengthen local business sector and give knowledge to the young businessperson and students.

Sukanto Tanoto through his foundation believes that if Indonesia is successful in stressing the importance of educational needs for the sake of young people, fulfilling the critical requirement of your worker. Tanoto Foundation will always be ready to assist government’s efforts in providing innovative educational system to achieve such remarkable result.

More Universities in Indonesia are Joining Tanoto Foundation

We know that Sukanto Tanoto is a great businessperson and a great philanthropist as well. His achievement is acknowledged not only in the business sector, but also in education sector in Indonesia. Through his foundation, Mr. Tanoto understands that education plays very important role in one’s life, as it may lead everyone to achieve broader knowledge and improve his.her livelihood in general. With the poor education issue in Indonesia, Tanoto Foundation has already given many schemes of scholarship to not only those brilliant students, but also those in needs.

The main issues of education in Indonesia

Recent studies find that more than 70 percent of Indonesian students ranging between the ages of 19 to 23 are unable to continue their education, mostly – or all of them – due to the difficult economic situation. The number has increased from year to year despite the government’s efforts to improve the quality through various programs and trainings. However, the government’s programs, no matter how sophisticated they are, still unable to overcome and fill the vast need of education, as the birthrate also continues to rise.

In addition to the quantity, quality also becomes a serious concern, as lots of schools, especially those in rural areas are still lacking of facility, and accessibility is not something that can be easily obtained. This issue creates a series of continuous problems, including the inequality of income and rising poverty. Research shows that people who have better education background are more likely to achieve higher income per capita.

Approximately 2.5 millions of children at the age of 15 in Indonesia do not go to school. Lacks of support, poverty, minimum to very little facility are just among dozens of reasons why Indonesia still has poor education system.

What Tanoto Foundation Does for Education

Understanding this problem, Tanoto Foundation takes the chance to help the Indonesian government to, at least, diminish the issue, by addressing certain point and emphasizing to strengthen the education. Giving scholarship to the students in need, providing facility, and financial support are among the efforts. Hasanuddin University in Makassar, Mulawarman University in East Kalimantan and additional two institutions are joining the foundation this year to give more support to the students.

Strengthening the private sector is one of the main concerns of the foundation, by providing basic requirements to the people in the country. Until today, Sukanto Tanoto through his foundation has helped more and more students who have excellent potential, but limited financial support. Students are also allowed to get better education through training, counseling, and internship program from the foundation.

Tanoto Foundation and Its Goal to Help the Humankind

Behind every great man, there is a great woman. Together with his wife, Tinah Bingei, one of Indonesia tycoons, Sukanto Tanoto built his empire of business with great philosophy of life. We can say, he is a philanthropist, since his goal of success is not merely in the business sector, but social, educational, and environmental sectors as well. One good thing about him is that he does not exaggerate his philanthropy; in fact, the mainstream media seem to be cool and calm and they do not publish the social activity performed by this RGE’s boss.

Tanoto Foundation’s Commitment to Minimize Poverty

More than half of Indonesian people are included in the middle to lower class group, in which they need great support to achieve a decent life. Sukanto Tanoto believes that giving and sharing his ability and privilege make himself a part in helping to improve the welfare of humankind. He, himself believes that it takes three things to achieve success in business; financial, social, and human resources. Not many people know that the essence of building stable and long-lasting business is also done by sharing. It is not always clear why, but sharing can somehow attract fortune, and strengthen your inner soul.

With his wife, Tinah Bingei, the foundation is built to create social media in order to fight poverty, based on the strong desire of the founders to do something good to the society, making every charitable activities conducted something fun, where they don’t hope anything in return but purely to help others. However, it does not necessarily mean that the foundation is just giving away money to those who need, instead of being focused in three different sectors; education, community empowerment, and life quality improvement.

Tanoto Foundation’s Commitment for Education

In educational sector, for example, the foundation commits to make sure that quality education is given to the students by giving training for the teachers. Not only that, scholarship is also provided for students who are unable to continue their studies.  Students will be ensured to pursue their dream, as they won’t lose hope to keep fighting with the help of Tanoto Foundation. You will find that behind every philanthropic action, there is great philosophy that makes everything more meaningful.

Recently, Tanoto Foundation emphasized the importance of education by encouraging Indonesian students to work harder in their study and providing chances of internship, job opportunities, and many more. Sukanto Tanoto also builds facilities in order to improve quality of life such as books supply, school building, small-scale business training, and many more.