Tahir Foundation and Gates Foundation Partner to Expand Access to Health in Indonesia

JAKARTA (October 21, 2013) — Dato Sri Dr. Tahir, chairman of the Tahir Foundation, a philanthropy supported by the Mayapada Group, announced today that his foundation is investing $75 million to expand access to health among Indonesia’s poorest citizens. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will receive $65 million, and an additional $10 million will go toward providing women with access to family planning.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it will match the Tahir Foundation’s commitments, investing $65 million in the Global Fund and $10 million to support family planning.

The Global Fund commitment will support efforts to diagnose, treat, and prevent three epidemics that are leading causes of death and disability in Indonesia. Over the past decade, financing from the Global Fund has helped Indonesia treat one million cases of tuberculosis (TB), distribute 9 million insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria, and provide nearly 30,000 Indonesians with lifesaving access to HIV treatment. With support from the Global Fund, Indonesia has strengthened its national TB control program, contributing to a significant reduction in TB deaths over the past decade.

The $20 million commitment will expand access to high quality voluntary family planning programs in Indonesia.  The programs will contribute to the global community’s goal to provide an additional 120 million women in the world’s poorest communities with contraceptive information, services and supplies by 2020.  Access to voluntary family planning has transformational benefits for women and is one of the most cost effective investments to reduce maternal and newborn mortality.

“The Tahir Foundation is dedicated to serving the less privileged in Indonesia and Southeast Asia,” said Dato Sri Dr. Tahir, Chair of the Tahir Foundation and the Mayapada Group. “We believe that corporations have a responsibility to support health and well-being in the communities where they work, and our commitment to the Global Fund is a smart investment in Indonesia’s future. We also believe that family planning saves lives and gives children a healthy start in life.”

The two foundations first entered a joint $200 million partnership in April 2013 at the Global Vaccine Summit to achieve a common mission of improving the lives of the world’s poorest people. The organizations announced at that time the first $50 million of the joint investment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to help end polio by 2018.  This marked the first major private-donor partnership the Gates Foundation has had in Indonesia.

“Dr. Tahir’s commitment is a tremendous example of the role that leading philanthropists from emerging economies like Indonesia can play in ensuring that all people have an opportunity to lead a healthy and productive life,” said Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Gates Foundation. “The Tahir Foundation’s investment in the Global Fund is a strong vote of confidence in an organization that has helped save nine million lives in the past decade.”

Speaking in her double capacity as Minister of Health of Indonesia and Chair of the Board of the Global Fund, Dr. Nafsiah Mboi, Ped. MPH said, “Our gratitude and admiration is tremendous for the initiative of the Tahir Foundation and the partnership of the Gates Foundation to help improve the health of Indonesia’s poorest citizens. Together they provide outstanding examples of mutual solidarity among Indonesians and responsible global citizenship. We stand ready to join hands with others prepared to follow their example in Indonesia or around the world. If we work hard and work together we have the knowledge and skills to defeat AIDS, TB, and malaria. This support to Indonesia’s contribution to the global fight is a big step forward.”

Dr. Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund, praised the Tahir Foundation’s commitment to defeating AIDS, TB and malaria in Indonesia. "We feel privileged to be joined by an Indonesian businessman who wants to give back to improve the quality of life of people in his own country," said Dr. Dybul. "This contribution will make a dramatic difference in fighting AIDS, TB and malaria in Indonesia."

The Tahir Foundation

The Tahir Foundation aims to help individuals and communities in need, regardless of race, language and religion, particularly in the area of education and healthcare. It is a privately-funded charity of Dr Tahir, founder of Indonesia’s Mayapada group, and his family. The Foundation is an expression of their Christian faith, best expressed through care and compassion for the less privileged. The Foundation works with the education sector, other trusts and charities, and governments, to support education, health and community services in Indonesia, Asia and the rest of the world. In the last two decades, the Foundation has provided scholarships to more than 20 state-funded universities in Indonesia and tens of thousands of computers to poor students

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
The Global Fund is an international financing institution dedicated to attracting and disbursing resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. The Global Fund promotes partnerships between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities, the most effective way to help reach those in need. This innovative approach relies on country ownership and performance-based funding, meaning that people in countries implement their own programs based on their priorities and the Global Fund provides financing where verifiable results are achieved.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has supported more than 1,000 programs in more than 140 countries, providing AIDS treatment for 5.3 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 11 million people and 340 million insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts in dealing with the three diseases.

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