~FOR CSR EDITION -- SUNDAY -- Sept. 4

~FOR CSR EDITION -- SUNDAY -- Sept. 4

Helping the needy through CSR programs

Debbie A. Lubis
Contributor
Jakarta

Although the awareness towards the importance of Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) program is still relatively low, a
number of Indonesian companies have started to include the
program in their business agenda.

A number of companies such as PT Coca-Cola Indonesia, mobile
phone distributor Nokia Mobile Phones Indonesia, Bank Central
Asia (BCA) and Citibank, have begun to develop CSR activities as
an integral part of their business activities.

These kind of companies generally implement their CSR by
providing assistance in the fields of education, health and
environment protection. Many natural resources-based companies
have also paid more serious attention in the CSR activities,
which are mostly carried out under their community development
program.

PT Coca-Cola Indonesia, for example, has implemented nation-
wide CSR program through its Coca-Cola Foundation Indonesia
(CCFI).

"For Coca-Cola which has operated in Indonesia for more than
70 years, and social activity has sincne become an integral part
of the business system," said Titie Sadarini, the Corporate
Affairs Director of PT Coca-Cola Indonesia.

In education, CCFI focuses its activities on developing
educational programs for children and youth. Since September
2000, CCFI has transformed 24 libraries in 14 provinces to become
learning centers. Since 2002, IT facilities are available in
seven learning centers and in three other centers this year.

The foundation also gives health education, especially about
HIV/AIDS to teenagers in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and
Yogyakarta in 2003. Around 80 teenagers have been trained as Peer
Educators and now actively disseminate information on HIV/AIDS to
the teenagers.

In environment, CCFI launched Indonesian Biodiversity program
for children in 2002. It has published a series of books on
Indonesian Biodiversity that are donated to the learning centers
as well as public and school libraries.

In addition, all of Coca Cola branches in the country have
their own community development programs, which among others
include free medical services at the company's clinics, mass
circumcision, scholarship for local children, access to clean
water, blood donation, and charity for local community.

To empower small enterprises, Coca-Cola System provides Micro
Enterprise Development Program that is implemented in Cikarang,
West Java (in 2003-2004) and Surabaya, East Java (2005)

When tsunami struck Aceh, Coca-Cola System also gave emergency
relief support. Like Coca Cola, Nokia Mobile Phones Indonesia,
has also developed a good system in its CSR program. Nokia has
launched a program called Nokia Connects with Nature to increase
the awareness and understanding of young people on the importance
of nature conservation.

Together with Yayorin, a non-governmental organization (NGO),
Nokia Indonesia has organized educational field trips for
students living in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan. The two-
year program, which would last this year, involves 20 students in
each field trip. Under the supervision of Yayorin, the students
study and explore the Tanjung Puting National Park in Central
Kalimantan, visit an education center and observe the life of
orangutans at Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting.

The program aims to increase awareness of the need to protect
the forest and all of the creatures in the national park,
especially the orangutans. A series of environmental-themed
competitions and activities, including a poster-drawing contest,
an environmental debate and an environmental cleaning
competition, were held as part of the program.

To realize its commitment to grow together with the community
and environment in a sustainable manner,

PT Unilever Indonesia is also among the pioneers of CSR in
Indonesia. In late 2000, the company Yayasan Unilever Peduli (YUP
foundation) in order to carry out its CSR activities more
affectively. The foundation focuses on four main programs that
include developing small and medium enterprises, environment
program, program on public health education and program on public
relations.

Together with Yogyakarta-based Gajah Mada University, the
foundation provides technical assistant to farmers in East and
Central Java in planting black soy. It also provides good quality
seeds and interest free loan to the farmers. The company then
buys the harvest as the raw materials for its soy sauce.

As of today, there are 2,500 farmers involved in the program,
working on 400-hectare land, said Okti Damayanti, General Manager
of Unilever Peduli Foundation.

Unilever also cooperates with the farmers to breed water fish,
which is the raw material for its seasoning product Royco. It
also is also utilized to produce liquid seasoning without mono
sodium glutamate (MSG).

The foundation also assists the residents of a village in
Jambangan subdistrict, Surabaya, East Java to manage household
waste and improve their sanitation. Together with government
institution, NGO, academicians, community and private sectors,
the foundation educate the residents on how to separate organic
and non organic waste, make fertilizer from it and also recycle
products. It also encourages the community to lead a healthy life
by building public toilet and providing some trash cans as well
as garbage transporters. This program gave PT Unilever runner up
position in the Environmental Excellence Awards from Asian Forum
on Corporate Social Responsibility.

Unilever has actively conducted program on health education
for public, such as Lifebuoy Shares Health, Pepsodent Initiative
for Dental Health, Integrated Health Promotion Program, which
collaborates with Yogyakarta Chapter of the Ministry Health, as
well as local NGOs and media.

The campaign on dental and mouth health has been conducted at
7,000 elementary schools in Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya,
Medan, Palembang, Banjarmasin, Pontianak and Makassar.

Nickel producer PT International Nickel Indonesia (Inco) has
developed a number of community development (CD) programs to help
the people living near the company's mining sites in Sorowako,
South Sulawesi.

One of the company's main CD programs is to improve the skills
of high school graduates living near its mine areas so that they
will be qualified to work with the company

At least 140 senior high school graduates from Nuha, Towuti
and Malili and other sub-districts close to Sorowako have taken
part in the program which was firstly launched in October, last
year. At present, 75 percent of the 3,400 people hired by PT Inco
are residents living near the company's mining sites.

PT Inco's CD programs in the education field also include the
provision of scholarships and research funds for students of
Hasanuddin University, Makassar.

The company's people empowerment program also includes the
improvement of the local villagers' farming skills, by providing
trainings. In addition to trainings, PT Inco also provides
farming equipment to the local farmers.

Besides education, the company's CSR programs also cover many
other areas such health and public infrastructure facilities.