Schedule

Avo's Press Release

Enviplast co-operates with UN-funded group to develop villages in Indonesia

Surakarta, Apr. 25, 2014 – A team of four specialists sent by the United Nations (UN) to stimulate the development of 20 impoverished villages in Central Java has decided to form a partnership with Enviplast®, a local company that produces biodegradable plastic bags from agricultural derivatives.

The team, Avo, consists of Dr. Sanjeevini Pertiwi, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) gender rights researcher, Nicole Rusli (PhD), an economic analyst, Angelian Widjaja (MC), a research psychologist for the National Child Labour Committee (NCLC) and Christopher Kevin, an environmental activist.

“Our purpose here is to teach these people and turn them into self-sufficient individuals who will one day be able to utilize and manage the abundant resources of the land to give a brighter future for the next generations to come”, says Dr. Nicole. The team has a very integrated plan which involves proper child education, increased employment for adults, improving the local economy and at the same time, raising productivity without adding to carbon emissions. According to Nicole, the first objective of the team would be to improve each village’s output by a minimum of 5% every year. “It’s about time these people step over and out the poverty line”.

The main focus as of now is to educate the local children and to prevent child labour. Angelian says, “Children should be in school, not out working. Before, parents could get away with saying they couldn’t afford to send their children to school. But now that we’re here, that excuse is obsolete.” The team is planning to open two schools catering to children aged 3-18 with international teaching staff, mainly from India. “Our international teaching staff consist of exclusively Indian women from rural areas who have received a tertiary education but do not have a chance of using their skills back in India. Why help only one nation when we can help two?”, Dr. Sanjeevini stated.

The UN has allocated a sum of USD$2.6 million for this project. A portion of this will be allocated to improve education in the area and the rest will be directed to fund for their work with Enviplast. Enviplast is a company that produces biodegradable bags from starch and other agricultural derivatives. Its products are not only eco-friendly but also provide as an alternative to plastic bags in the future. “We chose this location as it has a rich source of produce that Enviplast can use to manufacture its products. We will teach the villagers how to grow their crops in a sustainable way and by being Enviplast’s secured supplier, they will be able to greatly improve their incomes. We hope that one day we can see some of these men and women work at Enviplast’s manufacturing facility.”

The team hopes that its efforts will be able to improve the livelihoods of the villagers and influence others to aid in developing less fortunate communities.

Avo's People

Dr. Sanjeevini Pertiwi - Education Consultant

Dr. Sanjeevini Pertiwi is a gender specialist and researcher for the United Nations Development Programme and is based in Tokyo, Japan. After completing her postdoctoral studies at the University of Birmingham, she embarked on her mission to protect women’s rights in Japan and India. She is a spokesperson for Amnesty Japan, makes appearances on TED and gives talks at the Ochanomizu University’s Institute for Gender Studies. Being fond of nature, Sanjeevini enjoys travelling and is also a dedicated volunteer for UNICEF.


Angelian Widjaja (MD) - Education Consultant

Angelian Widjaja has been saving and exposing child labor to the public. She has a Masters degree from University of Surrey, and is an expert in Child Psychology. Angelian has over 10 years of work and experience in the field of child labour, from children ranging from the ages of 5 to 12. She has dedicated her work in Asia, and is also an avid volunteer of UNICEF, where she met Dr. Sanjeevini Pertiwi to carry out this project. Ms. Angelian Widjaja will work together with Dr. Sanjeevini Pertiwi to focus on aiding children through education.

Nicole Rusli (PhD) - Project Manager

Nicole Rusli (PhD) is an Economic Analyst that is based in Singapore. She received her Bachelor and Masters degree in the London School of Economics and continued her Doctoral studies in Oxford University, after which she decided to focus her work in Asia. Nicole has toured around Asia with a number of other well-known Economists for functions and events in which they train budding Economists and share their research with them. She is also a long-term volunteer in UNICEF, where she met her partners for this project.


Kevin Setiawan - Business Consultant

Kevin Setiawan is an environmentalist who has dedicated his work in the environmental health and safety field for over 12 years. He supports the goals of the environmental movement, which seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through different changes. He helped establish the California Conservation Project (Tree People), in which he was also its Assistant Director for 6 years. He also created the non-profit Natural Capitalism Solutions, which worked with UNICEF in past events, and also where he was introduced to the partners of this project.