Tanoto Foundation Emphasizes Rural Woman Empowerment

Being a successful business tycoon in Indonesia and Asia, Sukanto Tanoto understands the importance of giving back to the community. It is trough his family’s foundation, Tanoto Foundation, that he built with his wife, Tinah Bingei, who tries to empower women, particularly those living in rural area, to be able to advance their ability and improve equality in every aspect of life. In Indonesia itself, it has been long recognized that woman economic and social empowerment holds a key role and one of the factors that can advance the country’s development in general.

RAPP Supports Indonesian Women

The job and journey to bring maximum opportunity and full benefits of gender equality for women in Indonesia remains long, particularly for women in rural areas. When urban women in Indonesia are now slowly but surely developing their role in important aspects, such as higher education, their role in corporate world, and even in areas of governance, rural women still have to struggle and lag behind. Sukanto Tanoto and his charity organization have long recognized this issue and are now trying to help women to achieve a better life.

Tanoto Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the main concern to improve Indonesia’s education through many ways, including building infrastructure, facilities, giving scholarship, teacher training, and many more. We can already see some of its significant efforts already showed changes in our education. However, it is not only education, which they concern; the foundation’s partner also works in social aspect, such as to improve and empower the local people where the company operates and give back to the communities.

RAPP encourages the development of batik motifs

As part of RGE under Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) now works with local community, particularly batik artists and women in Pelalawan region by teaching them new technique and method in shaping traditional batik motifs, various patterns that also inspired by nature.

Batik, as one of Indonesian heritages, has lots of enthusiasts. The program aims at enabling the women capable to make their own living by producing batik, and we know that it succeeded as they can already make high-quality batik. In this sense, since women are not familiar with the trade, RAPP helps them to open booth to exhibit their products and get attention from the visitors.

We know that women in rural areas, particularly in Pelalawan, are unable to continue their education due to limited financial means.  In this sense, RAPP provides training program, ranging from beginner to advance level to learn valued trade to help improving their quality of live, and support the family.