2020 was a year of uncertainty for many, pushing us to readapt & relearn our ways. But through hard work & effective cooperation within our team, KMP has prevailed & remained committed to our goals.

Here is our year in review.

January

We continued our work with a number of local integrated health posts, or Posyandu, to raise awareness and provide basic health care for mothers and under-five children and elderly.

March

Katingan Mentaya Project launched a a creative approach through comic series following the lives of Jenta and her brother as they venture into the forest and learn about their environment. The comic book was sent to over 40 schools in and around the concession area, reaching a total of 4,000 school children.

As the first wave of the pandemic hit Central Kalimantan, Katingan Mentaya Project took initiative in raising COVID-19 awareness and prevention efforts through socialization, education in villages, and providing hand-washing sinks in schools around the project area.

April

As part of our literacy initiative, Katingan Mentaya Project distributed KMP Reading Corner for elementary schools to help them access up to 40 high quality and engaging books about nature and the environment.

On Earth Day, Katingan Mentaya Project celebrated as more farmers joined our sustainable and eco-friendly farming practices. This month also marked the beginning of a new year for over 7000 cashew trees planted in Baun Bango Village by local farmers.

By April, with the help of local communities, Katingan Mentaya Project has reached a milestone of planting over 100.000 trees!

May

In the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Katingan Mentaya Project initiated a program that facilitated distribution of products from women-led businesses in and around the concession area. Namely, our program has helped contribute to women tailors of Mentaya Seberang Village and the women-led Banana Chips Community Group in Ganepo Village.

Ngobrol Santai, a virtual talk show aimed for Katingan Mentaya Project’s young adult audience, was held for the first time. Aided by our Biodiversity team, the talk show shared light upon Katingan Mentaya Project’s current efforts in wildlife protection.

June

Entering dry season, Katingan Mentaya Project held a workshop for local communities on forest fires mitigations during COVID-19. Held adhering to local safety protocols, the workshop brought together local communities and government to develop sustainable fire prevention initiatives.

July

As part of Katingan Mentaya Project’s commitment to transparency for local communities and our stakeholders, our summary of monitoring report was distributed to villages around the project area to ensure healthy dialogue and feedback.

The third installment of Katingan Mentaya Project’s comic book series was also released in July.

August

Katingan Mentaya Project teamed up with Forest Digest, a quarterly online and print media, to host several online discussions surrounding forest fires under the name Restoration Forum that were attended by almost 300 people.

As part of our commitment to improving quality education, Katingan Mentaya Project held a series of educational training and workshops for local communities.

At the start of the month, we held an online training for over 70 teachers from schools around the project area. It was then followed by an offline workshop for vocational students on organic farming, while adhering to local safety protocols.

September

Dharsono Hartono, CEO of Katingan Mentaya Project, was awarded as The Schwab Foundation’s 2020 Social Innovator of the Year. He was also named as one of the 2020 Sustainability Pioneers of the World Economic Forum’s SDI. In an effort to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission, Katingan Mentaya Project facilitated mobile health clinics to reach rural communities who live in villages along the river.

The Journey to Zero #BirukanLangit movement was launched for the first time in the week of 20-27 September 2020, where participants were invited to complete a distance of 10 kilometers through running, walking, cycling, or using a combination of the three. The #BirukanLangit movement was participated by almost 800 people from within and outside of Indonesia. Those who completed the challenge received a medal and a tree planted at Katingan Mentaya Project’s demonstration plot at Kampung Melayu Village.

Katingan Mentaya Project held a workshop led by Dharsono Hartono, CEO of Katingan Mentaya Project, and Prof. Dodik Ridho Nurrochmat, a professor in forestry from Bogor Agriculture Institute, on forest multi business that was attended by 200 participants.

October

Katingan Mentaya Project contributed to flood relief during October’s flooding in the Katingan district.

As bridges remain an important infrastructure in providing access for local communities, Katingan Mentaya Project aided in a bridge repair in Kelampan Village to better ensure the safety and ease of access for villagers.

November

By working closely with local communities, Katingan Mentaya Project was able to construct a number of small dams to help stabilize water levels in our peat swamps in order to prevent drought and forest fires during dry season. Katingan Mentaya Project held a journalism training for 15 young and aspiring journalists from a variety of online and offline national media in order to learn about ecosystem restoration.

December

Katingan Mentaya Project facilitated a sewing training for women in villages around the project area as part of our continued efforts in women empowerment.