(For Caltex advertorial)<\/p>\n
Caltex's more than half a century of contribution<\/p>\n
A red elementary school cap is depicted in a television
\ncommercial with a line underneath: \"The hat of the president.\"
\nMaybe someday the owner of the cap might really become the
\ncountry's president. Based along the same lines as the dream, PT
\nCaltex Pacific Indonesia (Caltex) built the first senior high
\nschool (SMA I) in 1954 in Pakanbaru in the province of Riau. The
\ndream of leadership was later realized when one of the school's
\nalumni, Saleh Jasit, became the governor of the province, while
\nmany others have achieved various high status. Today SMA I is
\nstill standing and every year accepts hundreds of students.<\/p>\n
The establishment of SMA I in Pakanbaru was one of the
\nearliest foundations of Caltex's Community Development (CD)
\nprograms that have been continuously maintained until now. The CD
\nprograms have been closely connected with the philosophy of a
\nformer president director of Caltex, the late Julius Tahija.
\nHolding the positions of managing director and chief executive
\nofficer of Caltex in 1966, he was the first Indonesian to head
\nthe country's major multinational mining company. The essence of
\nhis philosophy was clearly mentioned in his book, Melintas
\nCakrawala (Crossing the Firmament), like the following lines: \" A
\ncompany can survive only if it fulfills the social needs, while,
\non the other hand, it can only do that if it is economically
\nsolid.\"<\/p>\n
It was Tahija's deep concern for social needs that prompted
\nCaltex to initiate various CD programs in the 1950s when other
\ncompanies had not even considered them. At that time, as Riau
\nprovince did not have sufficient infrastructure, most of Caltex's
\nCD programs were focused on building physical facilities in the
\nregion, for example the 180-kilometer Pakanbaru-Dumai road in
\n1959 and the Siak I Bridge in 1977, both of which opened up the
\neastern part of Riau province and boosted the entire region's
\neconomy.<\/p>\n
To match society's needs and regional development, Caltex's CD
\nprograms today focus on three major areas: health, education and
\nincreased earnings of community members. The programs
\nsimultaneously take care of other fields, such as art and
\nculture, youth development and sports, infrastructure and include
\nother programs related to enhancing the community's economic
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
In the implementation of its CD programs Caltex is not alone.
\nThe company's employees and their families also actively
\nparticipate in the programs. In 1995 Caltex's employees
\nestablished the Caltex Employee Foundation (YDBKC) with local and
\nexpatriate employees as its members, who voluntarily donate money
\nfrom their monthly salaries. The money raised has been used to
\nassist the surrounding community in various ways, such as
\nawarding scholarships, funds for preparing dissertations and
\npaying for the rejuvenation of Meranti Pandak village in
\nPakanbaru.<\/p>\n
The employees' initiatives are not only channeled through this
\nfoundation or various bodies within the company, as some of them
\ncontribute individually. For example, expatriate employee Bill S.
\nand his wife Diana have been paying the education costs of two
\nuniversity students -- residents of Duri area -- in Jakarta and
\nBandung for the past year or so. \"We admire their enthusiasm and
\ntheir strong will to continue their education to get good jobs.
\nThat's why we help them so that they have a better opportunity to
\nachieve their dreams,\" Bill said.<\/p>\n
Bill, who will finish his assignment this year and return to
\nthe United States, intends to continue helping the students until
\nthey complete their studies. Besides Bill, many other employees
\n-- both local and expatriate -- contribute in the fields of
\neducation, housing and health.<\/p>\n
The involvement of Caltex and its employees in community
\ndevelopment programs is very much in the spirit of the values
\nthe company believes in. One of them is partnership, which is
\nmeant to enhance the surrounding community's quality of life.<\/p>\n
Today, for more than 50 years, numerous Caltex CD programs
\nhave been consistently implemented based on the company's
\nphilosophy and values. In 2001, 47 years after building SMA I in
\nPakanbaru, Caltex established Politeknik Caltex Riau to prepare
\npeople for the workforce. This further proves the company's
\nconsistent commitment to the betterment of its community. It
\nseems a probable dream that one day out of the numerous students
\nattending SMA I or the polytechnic or those receiving
\nscholarships from Caltex employees one might emerge as the
\nnation's president.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/for-caltex-advertorial-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}