“Berlari Terus” iniated by Scott Thompson Raises Funds for Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB Foundation) and Mary’s Cancer Kiddies (MCK)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bali, 7 March 2012 – Hailed from Scotland and based in Jakarta, Scott Thompson is going to run from Bali to Jakarta – 1,250 kilometers (kms) over 30 cities in 5 provinces to raise funds to help Indonesian children. His charitable act through “Berlari Terus” will commence tomorrow 8 March 2012 from the Bali International Airport Ngurah Rai and end on 1 April 2012 in Jakarta.
Scott Thompson (44 years) currently works for mining company and it is not the first time he ran charity. In 2010, Scott ran 250 kms in the African Sahara. This year through Berlari Terus, Scott raises funds from sponsors and donors to help underprivileged Indonesian children. So far Rp 3,304,716,000 has been raised to be donated to two non profit organization that focuses on helping Indonesian children: Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB Foundation) dan Mary’s Cancer Kiddies (MCK). Besides corporate sponsors and invidual donors, this charitable act was also supported by the Indonesian Youth and Sport Minister Andi A. Mallarangeng.
At the press conference held at Bali Niksoma Resort Legian, Scott said that he is doing this simply because he loves helping to increase the quality of health and education of Indonesian children. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in 2011, there were about 30.02 million Indonesian people living below poverty level. In the five provinces that Scott will pass in his run, there are 15.6 million people living below poverty level with the highest in Central Java (15.8%) followed by East Java (14.2%), West Java (10.7%), Bali (4.2%), and DKI Jakarta (3.8%).
“I’m overwhelmed by the support Berlari Terus has received in the lead up to my charity run and so excited to know the money raised will make a real and lasting difference for many underprivileged children. The idea for Running Bali to Jakarta was to simply raise awareness and as much funds as possible for two wonderful organizations” said Scott. He also added that: “I’m honoured to be able to support the amazing work carried out every day by YCAB and MCK in giving kids and youth much needed hope for the future.”
At the press conference, YCAB Foundation Secretary General dr. Iskandar Irwan Hukom said that the two issues that concern Scott – health and education are the key issues that determines the level of Human Development Index (HDI). He added that Indonesian HDI currently is ranked 124 – compared to the neighbouring countries: Singapore (26), Malaysia (61), Sri Lanka (97), Thailand (103) and the Phillipines (112). As such, he hopes this program will impact positively in increasing the quality of health and education in Indonesia which in turn pushing the HDI level.
Representing YCAB Foundation that has been involved in the preparation of Berlari Terus, dr. Iskandar Irwan Hukom also added that all the donation from Berlari Terus will be allocated to help the education of the children from underprivileged families, particularly the drop out of school kids. “According to the Human Development Report 2011 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the mean years of schooling in Indonesia is only 5.8 years. This means, the average Indonesian does not finish primary school. With this program, we will be able to reach more drop-out of school children and enroll them in our House of Learning and Development (Rumah Belajar) that are currenly located in Greater Jakarta, West Java, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Central Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, and will be operated in West Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara.”
One of Mary’s Cancer Kiddies (MCK)’s volunteers Sarah Kennedy said that they were delighted and truly grateful that Scott has chosen to run for MCK again this year. “Without Scott, many children in Indonesia suffering from cancerous, infectious, or neo-natal illnesses would not have access to quality medical care. Every rupiah that has been donated to MCK through Scott will be spent on medical treatment for these children and will have a huge impact on their lives.”
Representing the sponsors, Brand Communications Manager PT Adidas Indonesia Cynthia Rizal also supports this program and said: “Adidas Indonesia welcomes and supports ‘Berlari Terus: Bali-Jakarta’ initiated by Scott Thompson. The program is in line with our mission and vision – using sport to help develop youth as the youth is the future of the nation. It is only natural that program such as Berlari Terus to be supported from all parties”.
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About Berlari Terus
“Berlari Terus” from Bali to Jakarta was initiated by Scott Thompson, a professional who was born in Scotland. Through this program, Scott Thompson raises funds from corporations and individuals which will be donated to two foundations; YCAB Foundation and Mary’s Cancer Kiddies (MCK). In 2010, he ran for 250 K in the Sahara desert and raised funds for MCK. This year, through “Berlari Terus: Bali to Jakarta” he will collects funds for Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB Foundation) and MCK.
Support us through social media:
Twitter account: @berlariterus and hash-tag #bali2jakarta
For further information, please visit www.runningbalitojakarta.com
About Mary’s Cancer Kiddies (MCK)
Mary’s Cancer Kiddies (MCK) is an independent non profit organization in Indonesia that was established in 2003 by Mary Binks. Today MCK is run by a small group of volunteers based in Jakarta who raise and manage the provision of funds to cover the cost of medical treatment for children from poor families.
For further information, please visit www.maryscancerkiddies.org
About Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa
Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa is an independent non-profit organization in Indonesia that was established in August 1999 and became a global organization in 2011 through YCAB Foundation. YCAB Foundation is headquartered in New York and is registered as a non-profit organizations that already have the facility of tax reductions (tax deductions) through section 501 (c) (3).
YCAB Foundation aims to establish independence in adolescents with a comprehensive development approach through the Healthy Lifestyle Promotion (HELP), House of Learning and Development (HOLD), and Hands-on Operation for Entrepreneurship (HOPE).
For more information, please visit www.ycabfoundation.org
Linda Chalid
Development and Communications Division
YCAB Foundation
Tel: +62 21 5835 5000
Fax: +62 21 5835 5001