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Singapore, 17 August 2022 – The Singapore International Foundation (SIF) was honoured with the Adinata Award by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore today. The award celebrates the Foundation’s longstanding partnership with Indonesia to uplift lives and strengthen ties between Singaporeans and Indonesians since 1992.

Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Singapore His Excellency Suryo Pratomo presented the award to SIF Chairman, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, at the in-person ceremony held in Singapore, marking Indonesia’s 77^th Independence Day.

Ambassador Suryo Pratomo said: “The Embassy aims to respect and appreciate the institution or individual in Singapore for their significant contribution to both countries. The award also serves as a gentle reminder to keep on contributing further and inspire others to do the same to strengthen bilateral relations.”

Ambassador Ong said: “The SIF is honoured to receive the Adinata Award from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore. In the last 30 years, Singaporeans and Indonesians have worked collaboratively in over 100 initiatives to effect change in the fields of education, healthcare, social entrepreneurship, and arts and culture.  Not even travel restrictions could deter our ‘gotong-royong’ spirit as both communities pivoted online during the pandemic to provide continued support to our beneficiaries. We are thankful to our Indonesian partners for their warm friendship in working with us to support sustainable development initiatives and promote mutual respect and understanding between our two nations. The SIF humbly accepts this award on behalf of its many volunteers, programme partners and donors that enable our work.”

Award Celebrates 30 Years of Collaboration between our Peoples

The Adinata Award, or Award for Excellence, recognises an institution or individual in Singapore who have made significant contributions in promoting mutual understanding and enhancing relations between Indonesia and Singapore. It is presented annually in commemoration of Indonesia’s Independence Day on 17 August.

Since 1992, the SIF has partnered various institutions and individuals in Banda Aceh, Bandung, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, and Yogyakarta, to make a difference in the fields of healthcare, education, social entrepreneurship, and arts and culture. Below are some examples of select projects over the years.

Healthcare

In healthcare, the SIF’s specialist Singapore International Volunteers (SIVs) have worked alongside their Indonesian counterparts to raise the capacity of Indonesian healthcare professionals in areas such as Palliative Care (2009-2021), Paediatric Emergency and Neonatal Care (2018-2021), and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (2016-2018).

For example, SIF projects in Palliative Care have yielded more than 100 Indonesian Master Trainers and positively impacted more than 60,000 people in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia. Nine Indonesian hospitals had also successfully set up multi-disciplinary palliative care teams, with some initiating pilot projects to bring palliative care into the community and homes.

Additionally, in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services, the SIF partnered with Menur Mental Hospital and Dr Radjiman Wediodiningrat Mental Hospital in 2016 to enhance standards in the public health institutions in the East Java province. This two-year collaboration resulted in the development of close to 200 Indonesian mental health professionals which in turn, benefitted over 10,000 people in East Java at the end of the project.

Education

In education, recent examples included the SIF’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Project (2019-2021) that sought to enhance the capabilities of ECE practitioners in Bandung and the wider province of West Java. This project, in partnership with the Indonesian Kindergarten Teachers Association (IGTKI) of West Java and the Singapore University of Social Sciences, concluded with 61 Indonesian ECE practitioners trained as Master Trainers, surpassing the original targeted pool of 50. These Master Trainers have gone on to train 300 other teachers from 51 kindergartens. The project benefitted more than 11,000 members of the Indonesian community, including students, parents, and caregivers – surpassing the project target of 9,250.

The SIF also recently ventured into its first special education project in Jakarta in 2019 to address the increasing demand for inclusive education for children with special needs. The SIF’s Occupational Therapy for Children with Special Needs Project (2019-present) is an ongoing collaboration between the SIF, the Foundation for the Development of Children with Special Needs (YPAC) Jakarta, and SingHealth. By the end of the four-year project, the team of SIVs aims to train 50 Indonesian special education practitioners, including 20 Master Trainers to benefit more than 2,000 people in Indonesia.

Social Entrepreneurship

In social entrepreneurship, the SIF saw strong, consistent growth in participation from the Indonesian community in its signature Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) Programme. YSE Global was launched in 2010 to equip budding changemakers with the requisite networks and knowhow via workshops, mentorship, study visits, and the opportunity to pitch for funding. At least ten social enterprises from Indonesia have received funding of up to S$20,000 each to start or scale up their business focused on solving social challenges that include providing access to digital healthcare, developing eco-friendly waste management, and empowering persons with disabilities with employment opportunities. In 2016, YSE launched a YSE Regional programme in Jakarta to cater to increasing demand.