Medco develops local community to improve living conditions
Medco develops local community to improve living conditions
There's nothing more important than better living conditions in terms of quality and welfare. Everyone has the right to keep pace with each development. The public should get involved in any development activities occurring around it, and not only witness the process and get left behind.
Realizing the importance of public participation in the development process, PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk. ("Medco Energi"/"the Company") actively encourages local communities to develop themselves through various programs tailor-made for them.
The publicly listed company is an Indonesian integrated energy company focusing on Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, along with two other business units; drilling services and methanol production.
At present, Medco Energi has a daily average production rate of 88,200 BOEPD. Medco Energi Oil and Gas business operates in 16 districts in five provinces, including South Sumatra, Riau, East Java, East Kalimantan and Central Sulawesi.
In drilling services business, Medco Energi owns 11 onshore and three offshore drilling rigs, which are being utilized by several oil and gas multinational company. Their locations are widespread over several provinces in Indonesia. The Company operates a methanol plant owned by PERTAMINA at Bunyu island, East Kalimantan.
Medco Energi continues to make efforts at the earliest phase as possible to protect the surrounding environment and develop the communities around its exploration projects and areas where the rigs are being utilized. To develop the community, Medco Energi has conducted several programs to make the people self- reliant and give them a better living.
So far there have been over 50 villages located in the nearby exploration projects in the districts involved in the community development activities initiated by Medco Energi. The ongoing activity is dubbed "Community Development 2001".
The community development program was based on the public's need. It's ideally the local community that should initiate certain ideas and formulate a plan and necessary action to achieve a goal. However, support from Medco Energi and local government, as facilitators or motivators, is still necessary.
The target of the community development programs included those living in the villages near Medco Energi's facilities such as production fields, container terminals and offices. Other target groups are those living in the related districts and provinces.
Programs
Medco Energi has introduced several programs related to community development that aim to empower the local public.
The programs include projects focusing on six areas comprising the socioeconomic, public health, education, infrastructure, environment and culture.
Activities in the socioeconomic programs include skill-related know-how and religious study. For instance, in Lirik district, Riau, 20 teenagers have been trained in sewing for six weeks.
They were trained to make 200 school uniforms. After the training the teenagers were given the 20 sewing machines they were using during the training.
In public health, Medco Energi helped the local people to improve their living conditions by providing clean water in Sekayu, South Sumatra. The company also supported the refurbishment of clinics or medical centers.
Activities in education/vocation include scholarships, computer and printer installation at some universities, and the supply of chairs for an elementary school. The company also provides various books to support a library and gives lectures at some public universities.
Infrastructure programs include the establishment of pathways and the renovation of traditional markets in some villages in South Sumatra and East Kalimantan.
Environmental projects include a nursery for a reforestation plan in Tarakan, East Kalimantan and public empowerment to preserve the environment around company's facilities.
In the religious, art and culture improvement activities, the local community is supported to maintain local cultural performances. Renovations for the improvement of mosques, churches and temples have also been carried out by Medco Energi in some sites located in the vicinity of the Company's facilities and sites.
Improvement
Some of the projects are specially designed to have a double impact. For instance, short training was provided for some locals to make chairs, which were then donated to a local elementary school.
The same also goes for the Company-sponsored sewing course. The participants are trained to make school uniforms, which will then be supplied to a particular school.
Each program and activity was designed on the basis of community needs, local government program and also social study prepared by local universities.
In South Sumatra, for example, the study was initially conducted by lecturers at the state University of Sriwijaya, therefore, Medco Energi can approach the community more effectively.
In the environment program, Medco Energi applied an integrated training program and conducted several activities to encourage the local community to be self-reliant in agribusiness.
The program is an attempt to introduce and train farmers about agribusiness. Therefore when they feel they already know what kind of commodities they can develop, and understand the market, including the overseas market, they are free to establish their own businesses.
The program also allowed the farmers to identify potential commodities or products, and to learn about appropriate techniques to make them successful or efficient and cultivate the land in a sustainable way.
The aim of Medco Energi's community development program is to better the socioeconomic conditions of the communities where Medco Energi operates in order to create a friendly working environment.
It is Medco Energi's commitment to serve the nation and its people well into the third millennium.
PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk. Graha Niaga 16th Floor Jl. Sudirman 58 Jakarta 12190 Phone +(62)(21) 2505459 Fax +(62)(21) 2505536