In 2022, Central Department Store Indonesia collaborated with one of our partners, Mastercard Indonesia for a CSR program. This program is the responsibility of the company to have an impact on the environment. This CSR program runs from July to October 2022 and invites all Central customers who shop using Mastercard debit/credit card during that period will automatically donate. Through digital / website, for every customer who donates using Mastercard debit/credit card on the landing page, the value of donation will be doubled by Mastercard.
This collaboration has raised IDR 1.4 billion. These funds were channelled through Wahana Visi Indonesia to build a Literacy Village in Biak Papua. Wahana Visi Indonesia is a humanitarian organization that has existed for over 25 years to run Child-focused community development programs. We chose Papua because based on the survey, Papua ranks last in the Literacy and Access Index. Only 39% of Children in Biak can read by understand the meaning. Seeing this urgency, makes us feel the need to help bring access to increased Literacy to Papuan children. Literacy Village is a project that aims to build community awareness about the importance of literacy and provide access that supports literacy and activities that support literacy in children.
This Literacy Village consists of Silo Reading House, Maranatha Reading House and 4 reading posts. Reading house activities are carried out once a week using the reading house module which consists of 21 sessions. Children will learn while playing, listening to stories and making skills related to their literacy skills. Meanwhile, the reading post is used as a community gathering place to build a reading culture. This reading post was built in the courtyard of a resident’s house which was donated to become a community gathering center for reading.
Not only building facilities and infrastructure, the project also trained tutors and parents. Tutor training is conducted so that tutors of reading houses have an understanding of basic literacy skills and increase their capacity to be able to assist literacy activities in reading houses. For parents, the training is conducted so that parents have the knowledge and skills to assist children in learning to read at home.
The Maranatha Reading House was completed and inaugurated in October 2023 and the Silo Reading House was completed and inaugurated in April 2024. Through this program, 150 tutors and parents were trained, as well as 180 children in Biak. Central and Mastercard had the opportunity to visit and do activities with the children directly. We met with the local government and tutors, and of course, brought some storybooks and stationery to share with the children in Biak.
We would like to thank all Central customers who supported this program. Thank you for being part of bringing proper education to the children in Biak, Papua. Let’s continue to bring a positive impact to our society.