Jakarta. Five inspiring young contestants took home awards at the 14ᵗʰ SATU Indonesia Awards 2023 in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The awards recognize youths who bring a positive impact to the community across five sectors: health, education, entrepreneurship, environment, and technology, as well as one group category that represents all categories combined.

“There are many Indonesian youths, from Sumatra to Papua, with all their limitations, who have incredible energy and innovations that can make a positive change to the surrounding community,” Astra’s president director Djony Bunarto Tjondro said.

"[The youths’] innovation and enthusiasm to serve society [demonstrates their] sincerity for this nation. This is something that we need to follow and appreciate,” Djony said.

The awards embrace the theme “For Today and Indonesia’s Future”. Astra seeks to find more inspiring youths that help Indonesia achieve its sustainable development goals (SDGs). This year, the 14ᵗʰ SATU Indonesia Awards 2023 scoring takes into account if the participants’ programs align with the environmental, social, and governance principles (ESG).

The 14ᵗʰ SATU Indonesia Awards 2023 recorded 14,997 applicants, up by 11.4 percent from the previous year. The winners will get a prize of Rp 65 million in program assistance. They will also receive mentoring and collaborate with Astra’s corporate social responsibility initiatives such as Kampung Berseri Astra and Desa Sejahtera Astra.

The following are the 14ᵗʰ SATU Indonesia Awards 2023 winners: 

1. Health: Theresia Dwiaudina Sari Putri (East Nusa Tenggara)

Theresia Dwiaudina became a midwife in the remote Uzuzozo Village back in 2017.  Many health workers at the time avoided being assigned to Uzuzozo. But Theresia helped teach local parents -- particularly the moms -- about parenting and child nutrition. As a result, the village’s stunting rate continues to decline.

2. Education: Diana Cristiana Dacosta Ati (Papua)

It was back in 2018 when Diana Cristiana Dacosta Ati got assigned to the only school in her village located in South Papua’s Mappi Regency. Many children did not go to school as they had to help their parents find food in the forests. Learning activities had also stopped long before Diana arrived because teachers from outside the area rarely came to Mappi. 

After Dian and her two colleagues arrived in the village, the local children learned how to read and write. Many students even went to junior high.

3. Entrepreneurship: Alan Efendhi (Yogyakarta)

The rising cases of kidney failure, diabetes, and obesity in his area prompted Alan Efendhi to make healthy beverages. He then founded Rasana Vera which produces Aloe Liquid, an aloe vera-based drink with stevia leaves as its natural sweetener. Alan involves local communities in aloe vera cultivation and drink production. Since Rasa Vera’s founding in 2018, Alan has teamed up with more than 125 farmers across Gunung Kidul, Klaten, Bantul, and Sleman Regencies.

4. Technology: Reza Permadi (Jakarta)

Reza first launched the Atourin Visitor Management System (AVMS) back in 2019. As the name suggests, the system seeks to help tourist destinations and villages offer their packages, attractions, and services online. To date, there are 100 tourist villages in Indonesia that have used AVMS. Atourin also helps these villages make a visitors’ database and keep track of their finances.

5. Group: Rengkuh Banyu Mahandaru (Jakarta)

Plastic and styrofoam packaging is one of the environmental problems coming from the food industry. Most people would try to tackle this issue by recycling. But Rengkuh Banyu Mahandaru directly aims for the root cause of the problem, namely by replacing the plastic and styrofoam packaging with environmentally friendly materials.