Twenty five years ago the small rural village of Pangkalan Kerinci, better known as Kerinci, consisted of a few dirt roads and roughly 200 residences inhabited by fishermen, illegal loggers and their families. Today there are more than 100 000 inhabitants, 11 000 kilometres of paved road, a small airport and two shipping ports in Kerinci.
This enormous growth is due to the fact that Indonesian business man and owner of the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) group of companies, Sukanto Tanoto, has built the key operations of his pulp and paper and palm oil productions, APRIL and Asian Agri, in Kerinci.
While the town is now thriving and living conditions have greatly improved, there is much that can still be done, especially for the younger generation. This is where Project Sukacita comes in.
Project Sukacita
Project Sukacita is a yearly program which provides community services such as free health care and check-ups and early education for young children in the less prosperous parts of Kerinci.
It is a student-initiated community service project, whereby students from the Tanoto Foundation scholarship community volunteer to contribute towards enhancing the quality of life of those less privileged.
The Tanoto Foundation was founded by Sukanto Tanoto as a way of giving back to the community and country. Through the Tanoto Foundation, Sukanto Tanoto is able to help the less privileged and empower the younger generations through education and programs such as Project Sukacita.
Project Sukacita’s Fifth Anniversary in Kerinci
For Project Sukacita’s 5th anniversary this year, 27 Tanoto Foundation scholars and volunteers spent a week completing community service projects by helping with spring cleaning, basic maintenance and conducting English and arts and crafts workshops for children.
Of the 27 volunteers were medical scholars from NUS Yong Loo Lin Medical School, who organized free health screenings for the young local children and gave fun, informative lessons to raise awareness on the importance of good health, hygiene and nutritional practices. Toothbrush kits were later handed out to local pre-schoolers to promote oral hygiene.
To find out more about Sukanto Tanoto and the Tanoto Foundation visit: