Channel NewsAsia Perspectives recently telecast a discussion on “inequality in Asia” on 10 June 2015. As a member on the Board of Trustees of Tanoto Foundation, Belinda Tanoto participated in the panel discussion hosted by veteran international journalist, Teymoor Nabili. She shared her views on the importance of collaboration between various stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government and private sector to alleviate poverty.
When the stakeholders collaborate around the common goal of breaking the poverty cycle, the reach can be extended when different stakeholders focus on their strengths to tackle the issue, be it through education, health, housing, food etc. Belinda Tanoto believed that NGOs like Tanoto Foundation, are better positioned to be innovative and more risk-taking than the government or private sector to provide solutions for poverty alleviation.
Tanoto Foundation, which was founded by well-known philanthropist, Sukanto Tanoto and his wife, recognized that education is integral to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty in Indonesia and thus has partnered with 350 elementary schools in rural Indonesia to improve access to quality education opportunities. School infrastructures are improved, scholarships are provided to enable the children to remain in schools, trainings are given to teachers to empower them to teach better. When people have basic life and literacy skills, they will have the capacity to earn more and are better positioned to support their families.
Belinda Tanoto also spoke about how the private sector can help to battle inequality through their businesses, creating jobs and contributing to the economic growth of the surrounding communities. A case in point is Asian Agri, the palm oil business group founded by Sukanto Tanoto, who partners with 29,000 smallholders families in Riau and Jambi, Indonesia, managing 60,000 Ha of palm oil plantation. This partnership forged more than 20 years ago has enabled the 29,000 families to constantly upgrade their skills and provide education opportunities for their children, thus lifting them out of the poverty cycle.
Read Belinda Tanoto’s views on “Tackling Poverty In Indonesia” from Today.