“It’s all about giving back!” said 11 year old Kafin Sulthan, one of a whole host of Indonesian celebrities who came together to help launch the #GiveBackIndonesia campaign. Support for children can come in all sorts of ways and this latest example that Kafin talks about is a fantastic collaboration by singers and public figures who recorded a song and video entitled “Give Back Indonesia.”
The song and video, produced by music producer Stephen Laurence Harvey, aims to motivate viewers to give back to help improve the lives of children in Indonesia. Mr Harvey donated the recording to Madam Noor Traavik, the spouse of the Norwegian Ambassador for Indonesia, who later gave the rights to song and video to UNICEF.
“It's a beautiful experience for me, this song is about giving back. I think it’s meant to be, because when I came up with the idea, I got all the support, everyone seems to have time to do it. So basically the whole process is meant to be and this is my way to give back,” Mr. Harvey said during the press conference.
“I encourage and challenge, more and more young Indonesian artists to step out and help by doing similar projects, more philanthropists could donate to help the children around the world.”
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| The handover took place yesterday at the Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence attended by a throng of journalists and some of the artists, including Kafin, who participated in the song and video. |
The collaboration resonates with UNICEF’s belief that to deliver the best results for children we all need to work closely together and join efforts with many stakeholders, including the private sector, because children are everybody’s business. The private sector plays an important role in helping improve the quality of children’s lives.
“This collaboration shows that everyone can contribute, regardless of their backgrounds, for the lives of Indonesian children,” said UNICEF’s Representative in Indonesia, Gunilla Olsson during the press conference. “When I go to the fields around the archipelago and I go to villages, I see children with hope and determination in their eyes even though there are no teachers or doctors where they live. And I hope this initiative could help them have more teachers or doctors. One in three Indonesian children is stunted. Stunting is a condition where children are short for their age and this could really impact their future lives and opportunities. So I am really hopeful that this collaboration will help grow organically, a coalition for Indonesian children.”
Alongside the child star Kafin who attended the press conference, were a number of other well known singers, including Joe Taslim, Syaharani, Dira Sugandhi, Sandy Sondhoro, Kyla Christie, Reza The Groove and Brianna Simorangkir.
"I am really touched with this initiative and I will do anything in my capability to keep helping the children of Indonesia with my talent," Dira Sugandhi said. It is a sentiment shared by her fellow artists including Joe Taslim. "I fully support Give Back for Indonesia because as a parent, I too am very concerned with the future of Indonesian children, they are our future generation", said the actor.
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| Actor, athlete and singer Joe Taslim encourages others to raise their hand and Give Back to Indonesian Children. |
Partnerships between businesses and UNICEF offer mutual benefits, combining the proven value of Corporate Social Responsibility, raising the profile of the company while enhancing UNICEF’s work on behalf of the most vulnerable children in the country. The video recording will be used by UNICEF to enhance fundraising efforts and comes with a link to the UNICEF donation page to encourage people, businesses and private sector, to Give Back to Indonesian children.
