Promoting social awareness through community programs<\/p>\n
Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Several employees of a pharmaceutical company were astounded
\nwhen they visited a village near their factory in Cisalak, Depok,
\nWest Java province.<\/p>\n
The village had no garbage dump and mountains of rubbish
\ndecorated some spots of the village, emitting an awful rotten
\nsmell.<\/p>\n
Many villagers suffered from contagious diseases, including
\ndiarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, dengue fever, respiratory illnesses
\nand tuberculosis.<\/p>\n
\"We were conducting our base line survey to identify local
\nproblems at that time,\" PT Roche Indonesia corporate
\ncommunications executive Lucia Erniawati recalled of the study
\ntwo years ago.<\/p>\n
The company then launched a three-year program of empowering
\nthe villagers to improve their environmental health, nutrition,
\nreproductive health and control of communicable diseases. The
\nprogram is called \"towards a healthy village 2003\".<\/p>\n
Lucia said that a field program manager appointed by the
\ncompany would coordinate, monitor and report activities in the
\nfield since the programs were held in cooperation with the
\nFaculty of Public Health at the University of Indonesia,
\ncommunity organization (PKK), and several non-governmental
\norganizations (NGOs).<\/p>\n
Roche has donated vitamin A to community health centers and
\nprovided free medical examinations and health education programs
\nfor the villagers through youth activities and Koran recital
\nsessions. \"It is easier for us to inform the villagers about
\nreproductive health through a religious approach,\" Lucia said.<\/p>\n
As the program enters its third year, the villagers have shown
\ntheir independence and initiative through establishing a garbage
\ndump and promoting a recycling system in every household. \"They
\ndesigned the dump and determined the dump site. We just offer
\nfinancial and technical assistance. Our goal is to make them
\nself-sustaining and not to rely solely on charitable funding,\"
\nLucia said.<\/p>\n
Roche is one of the companies in Indonesia that recognizes its
\nobligation to operate their business in an environmentally and
\nsocially responsible way. Many leading companies from various
\nsectors such as banking, cigarette producers, transportation,
\nplantations, pulp and paper, retailers and the like have begun
\nestablishing their community development programs since the late
\n1990s in a bid to support sustainable development.<\/p>\n
However, their programs still focus on educational sectors
\nthat come in various forms such as high-profile scholarship
\nawards, free education for school-age street children, non-formal
\neducation for the drop outs, apprenticeship programs and skill
\nworkshops.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) population research
\ncenter head Aswatini said the lack of guidance from the
\ngovernment and coordination among businesspeople had meant many
\ncompany's community-based programs had failed to realize their
\ngoals.<\/p>\n
\"Many companies still don't get the idea of empowering the
\ncommunity. They just provide the funds for the programs but do
\nnot teach and empower the people to be independent for the
\nfuture. So it is like a candy that disappears as soon as you
\nfinish chewing it.\"<\/p>\n
Aswatini added that such programs would be effective if
\nconducted in a two-way direction; empowering the community near
\nthe company's site as well as supporting the company's business.<\/p>\n
\"There will be no conflicts between local people and
\nbusinesspeople that could threaten the company's existence,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper has proved such ideas by
\nintroducing integrated farming systems to people near its plant
\nand industrial forest in the regencies of Pelalawan, Kuantan
\nSengingi, Siak, and Rokan Hulu.<\/p>\n
The company's head of the Riau Community Empowerment Program
\n(PPMR), Elyas, said the program aimed to encourage local people
\nto develop agribusiness and small-scale industry. He said the
\ncompany also educated local people through training and workshops
\non some practical skills and self-development.<\/p>\n
\"We also assist them to use the natural resources wisely and
\npreserve the environment,\" Elyas said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 800 Citibank employees have joined Citibank Peka,
\nthe Citibank community development program that upholds the
\nvalues of caring and creativity. By sharing just two hours of
\ntheir time every two months, the employees become volunteers in
\nthe company's education and social programs.<\/p>\n
\"We want our people to get involved in the community, not just
\noffer money. The employees are also critical of the programs they
\nvolunteer with so that we gain input to improve the programs,\"
\nDitta Amahorseya, Citibank Indonesia's vice president and head of
\ncorporate affairs, said.<\/p>\n
Begun in February 1999, Citibank Peka is run by Mitra Mandiri
\nFoundation (YMM), an affiliate of international NGO United Way
\nInternational. The foundation assists the implementation of
\nCitibank Peka programs, allocates the project funds to local NGO
\npartners, and evaluates, coordinates, and monitors the programs,
\nand maintains regular communication with them.<\/p>\n
\"We have performed a series of workshops to train our NGO
\npartners to achieve self-reliance in both financial management,
\nfund-raising and volunteerism so that when we leave after five-
\nyears of assistance, they will be more independent,\" Ditta said.<\/p>\n
The company also arranges four radio talk shows, aired every
\ntwo months, broadcasting details of its community programs. This
\nyear, the company has allocated US$253,000 to fund its social and
\neducational projects.<\/p>\n
Citibank Peka has provided funds and sent its volunteers to
\nteach street children in Ancol and Pedongkelan, North Jakarta. It
\nis organized by Bintang Pancasila Foundation. It also helps Usaha
\nMulia Foundation educate dropouts from elementary school in
\nCipulir and Jurangmangu. Most of their parents are unskilled
\nworkers, street vendors and scavengers. The classes are from 8.
\na.m. to 11 a.m., from Monday through Saturday.<\/p>\n
Citibank Peka also supports micro credit lending for the poor
\nthrough Grameen Trust. In 1999, the first funding, given to
\nBangun Karya Central Java Project in Surakarta, amounted to
\nUS$44,000. In 2001, the Paluma Foundation received $32,500 from
\nCitibank through Grameen Bank to fund its micro credit project in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Citibank Peka volunteers spend time inputting data for the
\ncompletion of electronic dictionary and voice recording for the
\ntalking books (audio books) for the blind at Mitra Netra
\nFoundation. Since 1991, this foundation has served 213 blind
\npeople in all levels of education, from grade school to
\nuniversity.<\/p>\n
The company also sponsors the production of Indonesia's first
\nElectronic Dictionary for the Blind as well as conducting a
\nworkshop for using the dictionary.<\/p>\n
Pustaka Kelana Foundation (the \"wandering library\") joined
\nCitibank to reach children and teenagers so they could take books
\nfrom its mobile library. The company provides funds for the
\nmaintenance of the library car, sends volunteers to read books
\nwith the kids at Jurangmangu stop and five other stop locations.<\/p>\n
Citibank donates funds to build schools for street children
\nand child workers at Pasar Minggu and Kramat Jati, Jakarta that
\nare organized by Nanda Dian Nusantara. The education center
\ndevelops the children's morals, general knowledge and practical
\nskills.<\/p>\n
\"We are contemplating to have a program for high school
\nteachers this year. It is time for them now to show progressive
\nteaching-learning activities outside school hours,\" Ditta said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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