National Children's Day 2025: Bank DBS Indonesia expands social impact to increase the life expectancy of and education access for vulnerable children | Bahasa

Indonesia, 25 Jul 2025 - As part of its commitment to creating sustainable social impact, Bank DBS Indonesia together with DBS Foundation collaborates with Make-A-Wish® Indonesia to give hope to and uplift the spirit of children with critical illnesses. Furthermore, Bank DBS Indonesia also collaborates with Yayasan Mahija Parahita Nusantara to promote educational inclusion for children of waste workers, providing them with opportunities to access non-formal education. This is the three parties’ endeavour to celebrate National Children's Day 2025, whose main theme is “Great Children, Strong Indonesia Towards Golden Indonesia 2045”.

Ministry of Health 2025 data shows that each year, an estimated 10,000 to 11,000 children of 0-19 years old in Indonesia develop cancer. Leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer, with 3,880 cases (34.8 percent), followed by lymphoma and brain cancer, each with around 640 cases (5.7 percent). In addition, congenital heart disease (CHD) and ARI/pneumonia are the leading causes of death in children under five. These conditions result in a high mortality rate or the need for long-term treatment.

Within this context, research shows that a wish can provide a multitude of benefits for the health and well-being of children with critical illnesses and their families. A survey conducted by Make-A-Wish® International shows that 98 percent of wish children and their parents or guardians believe that a wish plays an important role for children with critical illnesses. Therefore, Make-A-Wish® Indonesia collaborates with Bank DBS Indonesia and DBS Foundation to spread hope by making their dreams come true as a form of emotional and psychological support while offering Indonesians the opportunity to get directly involved.

Head of Group Strategic Marketing & Communications PT Bank DBS Indonesia Mona Monika said, “We believe that bringing happiness during difficult times can give children and their families tremendous strength to keep fighting. This initiative is in line with our commitment to building a hopeful and inclusive future for all.”

The collaboration with Make-A-Wish® Indonesia consists of four main programmes, including Adopt-A-Wish®, a Train-the-Trainer Wish Workshop designed to equip 20 master trainers from Bank DBS Indonesia with trainers’ competencies. The master trainers will then train up to 200 other employees through internal activations. During the workshop, Bank DBS Indonesia employees are also directly involved in an employee engagement session where they co-design a real wish experience. Through case studies, participants are encouraged to hone in their creativity, foster empathy, and create meaningful social impact. All of these volunteering activities are part of People of Purpose, Bank DBS Indonesia's employee volunteering programme.

“Behind every wish there is the power of hope that strengthens a child and their family during difficult times. Through our partnership with Bank DBS Indonesia, that hope is strengthened by acts of kindness led by their employees. We believe that through collective action, we can bring hope, strength, and happiness to children and their families when it matters most,” said CEO Make-A-Wish® Indonesia Imelda Tanoyo.

Make-A-Wish® Indonesia is part of the world's largest wish-granting organisation, dedicated to creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Officially an affiliate of Make-A-Wish® International since October 2024, the organisation brings strength, hope, and happiness to children across Indonesia. Through collaborations with hospitals, medical personnel, and communities, Make-A-Wish® Indonesia helps children fight their illnesses by realising and encouraging wishes during difficult times. As the only wish-granting organisation of its kind in Indonesia, Make-A-Wish® Indonesia is committed to making a real impact by restoring lost childhoods and improving their emotional and physical well-being.

Promoting Educational Inclusion

The latest data from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) reveals that 38,540 elementary school students have dropped out of school. The number accounts for 0.16 percent of the total number of elementary school students nationwide. Family economic circumstances and limited access to education are among the reasons why students do not complete their elementary school education. This provided the foundation for collaboration between Bank DBS Indonesia and DBS Foundation, along with Mahija Parahita Nusantara Foundation, an initiative of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Dynapack Asia that is focused on responsible management and recycling of PET bottle waste. The collaboration is specifically designed to enhance the knowledge of and sustainable education for children of waste workers.

Bank DBS Indonesia's commitment is realised through its support for the Mahija Mobile School programme, which provides education for the waste worker community, enabling their children to learn without having to relocate. Over the next three months, Bank DBS Indonesia’s employees participating as volunteers in the People of Purpose (PoP) programme will serve as mentors to over 100 children of waste pickers in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, and Johar Baru, Central Jakarta. Additionally, donations of school supplies and educational toys will be directly distributed to children from preschool through high school.

Chairperson of Mahija Parahita Nusantara Foundation Ardhina Zaiza said, “As an entity focused on improving the welfare of waste workers and their families, Mahija warmly welcomes strategic partnerships that promote greater and more sustainable impact. We believe that every collaborative step will bring a positive impact and progressive change for every child, particularly in terms of access to education and a more equitable and dignified livelihood.”

Mona Monika said, “Currently, education is still considered a luxury for most vulnerable communities, even though it is a very important basic need. This concern has prompted Bank DBS Indonesia and DBS Foundation to collaborate with partners who are strongly committed to education, especially for children of waste pickers. We hope that through this contribution, Indonesian children can grow into a future generation with strong character who are capable of advancing the nation. As a bank with the aspiration to be the Best Bank for a Better World, we believe that education is the key to change and progress for the future.”

DBS Foundation has three main focuses: providing daily needs, fostering inclusion, and ageing society. Bank DBS Indonesia, supported by DBS Foundation, will allocate SGD9 million, or more than Rp100 billion, over the next three years to improve the quality of life and well-being of vulnerable communities in Indonesia, including women, small farmers, young people, and people with disabilities. This is part of DBS Group's commitment announced in 2023 to allocate SGD1 billion over the next 10 years to support vulnerable communities. A number of past programmes supporting informal education include Coding Camp with Dicoding, which provides coding training for students from vulnerable families, in collaboration with Konekin, which offers training for students with disabilities as well as financial literacy programmes for female SME entrepreneurs in West Kalimantan and East Nusa Tenggara.


For more information about DBS Foundation, please visit: www.dbs.com/dbsfoundation.

 

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About DBS Foundation

Established in 2014, DBS Foundation is committed to uplifting lives and livelihoods of those in need. It provides essential needs to the underprivileged, and fosters inclusion by equipping the underserved with financial and digital literacy skills. It also nurtures innovative social enterprises that create positive impact. It aims to bring hope to those with less today, so no one is left behind and we can all face the future with confidence.

In 2024, DBS committed up to SGD 1 billion dollars over the next decade to support vulnerable communities. It also pledged to contribute 1.5 million employee volunteer hours over the same period.

Together with an ecosystem of like-minded partners, DBS Foundation seeks to create impact that goes beyond banking, beyond borders, and beyond generations.

For more information, please visit: www.dbs.com/dbsfoundation.

About DBS

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank's "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings are among the highest in the world.

Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named “World’s Best Bank” by Global Finance, “World’s Best Bank” by Euromoney and “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney and the world’s “Most Innovative in Digital Banking” by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia” award by Global Finance for 16 consecutive years from 2009 to 2024.

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets.

Established in 1989 as part of the Singapore-based DBS Group, PT Bank DBS Indonesia (Bank DBS Indonesia) is one of the banks with the longest history in Asia. Currently operating 1 Head Office, 13 Branch Offices, 16 Assistant Offices and 1 Functional Office and 3,011 active employees in 15 Major Cities in Indonesia, Bank DBS Indonesia provides comprehensive banking services that focus on the customer experience to 'Live more, Bank less'. We also see a purpose beyond banking and are committed to supporting our customers, employees, and the community towards a sustainable future. 

PT Bank DBS Indonesia is licensed and supervised by The Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK), and an insured member of Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS).

DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, as it banks the Asian way. Through the DBS Foundation, the bank creates impact beyond banking by uplifting lives and livelihoods of those in need. It provides essential needs to the underprivileged, and fosters inclusion by equipping the underserved with financial and digital literacy skills. It also nurtures innovative social enterprises that create positive impact.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.