Photo: Dietary staples delivered to a church in Asiki

Boven Digoel – Tunas Sawa Erma (TSE) Group — through its subsidiaries PT Berkat Cipta Abadi (PT BCA) and PT Tunas Sawa Erma (PT TSE) — continues to demonstrate consistency in taking on corporate social responsibility with its Corporate Social Contribution program. On Monday (4/3), the companies passed out staple food aid to settlements around their areas in Jair District, Boven Digoel Regency, South Papua Province.

Dozens of packages were handed over in a symbolic ceremony to 13 clans holding customary land rights, 9 churches, and 2 orphanages and retirement homes across the (sub)villages of Miri, Tamun Tunas, Asiki, Camp Inocin, and Camp-19.

Altogether, the staple kits contained 10 bags of 50-kg rice, 14 bags of 25-kg rice, 45 bags of 10-kg rice, 35 bags of 5-kg rice, 129 boxes of instant noodles, 35 jerry cans of 5-liter cooking oil, 128 packets of 1-kg granulated sugar, 121 packets of coffee powder, 135 boxes of tea, and 50 tins of milk powder.

Locals were thankful for the aid arrived at Easter celebration. Basic food prices have recently soared to exorbitant levels, so these packages can reduce their financial burden. “We want to thank the company for this year’s Easter donations. We’re grateful to receive these packages when staple food prices are now high,” said Amote clan chief Esebius Amote in Miri (Sub)village.

Tunas Sawa Erma (TSE) Group runs a palm oil plantation and mill in South Papua. It strives to continually innovate to prioritize fulfilling its environmental and social responsibility. (Besse/TSE)

Photo: TSE Group employees giving basic law lessons at Ujung Kia Public Junior High

BOVEN DIGOEL – Tunas Sawa Erma Group (TSE Group) delivered lessons on general law and health knowledge as part of its “Back to School” activity at Ujung Kia Public Junior High, Monday (3/28).

This short class was aimed at helping students grasp the value of obeying the law in everyday life, and know and avert the risks of smoking and using drugs from an early age. TSE team used entertaining ways to educate and motivate its audience, making the atmosphere far more lively.

There was also a motivational speech, with which the team sought to provide knowledge and build a generation that keeps up with the rapidly changing and developing information in today’s world.

School officials welcomed the event with open arms, saying company participation in social activities could help drive up the quality of education at the school and bring students joy by creating a new learning environment.

“This Social Education program is greatly helpful in how it shows the kids the importance of following the laws and steering clear of drugs and cigarettes from early on. I fully support these kinds of events,” said Adolfina, the principal.

Photo: (Left) Event participants and committee took a group photo (Right) PR Deputy General Manager for Asiki Office, Sutisna, taught the class

At the final segment of the class, PT TSE’s GA General Manager Park Zoozang shared his gratitude to the school, which he said had provided the venue and time.

“My gratitude goes out to the school, but most especially to Principal Adolfina for his support. We look forward to running more events like this, hopefully regularly, and teaching more topics, too.”

“Back to School” is an ongoing effort from TSE Group to improve workforce quality from the educational aspect. It targets young minds from the most isolated areas of Papua and is a part of the Social Education program. This time, this event was held at Ujung Kia Public Junior High, a school close to the operational area of TSE Group subsidiary PT TSE. (Besse/TSE)

Photo: The friendly atmosphere between TSE and SMKN/SMK Negeri 4 Boven Digoel (Boven Digoel Public Vocational High) reps

BOVEN DIGOEL – Tunas Sawa Erma Group (TSE Group) celebrated the first harvest of its pilot cropland in Jair District, Boven Digoel, South Papua on Friday (3/24). Also attending were the headmaster and teachers from SMK Negeri 4 Boven Digoel – a vocational high school that offers agribusiness and agrotechnology programs for the Boven Digoel community.

For three months, TSE employees and local residents worked closely to plant and tend the site’s vegetable and fruit saplings, tracking their growth day in and day out until the picking season arrived. The first variety to come out was cucumbers, with half of the yields given to the school for free and another half sold to TSE employees. Using the income, local farmers plan to buy more seeds, creating a sustainable planting system in the process.

“Today, we held our first harvest at TSE Group’s pilot garden and reaped cucumbers weighing 35 kilograms,” said SMKN 4 Boven Digoel’s headmaster Bambang Sulistiyo. He hoped to continue working with the company on growing more types of vegetables.

Photo: Harvesting and weighing cucumbers from the pilot cropland

This ceremony was a crucial moment to show how collaboration can help Papuans start their own gardens and find economic independence.

“This event is our way of providing impactful education for both the school and the community. We’re really counting on the participation of the local people as they can drive [the local economy] with what they plant and harvest,” said TSE Group’s PR Assistant Manager, Hasanuddin.

Tunas Sawa Erma Group (TSE Group) is a palm oil plantation company in South Papua. TSE Group is committed to practicing sustainable palm oil governance and keeps innovating in an effort to prioritize fulfilling its environmental and social responsibility. (Besse/TSE)