Amartha Financial Group, through the Amartha.org initiative, has announced a major commitment to education. They are distributing scholarships worth Rp10 billion, which will be given over the next five years. This program targets tens of thousands of students residing in various regions in Indonesia.

This strategic step is a concrete effort to overcome the inequality in access to education, which remains a challenge. Amartha.org believes that education is a crucial foundation. It can effectively break the cycle of poverty that often plagues rural communities.

Amartha.org Chairman Aria Widyanto emphasized that these scholarships are designed as an intervention. The goal is to produce a generation of bold local leaders. They are expected to become agents of change who bring positive impact to their communities.

Building a Generation of Leaders Through the Amartha Scholarship Program

The Amartha Scholarship Program focuses not only on academic achievement, but also on character building. This scholarship aims to produce individuals who are not only intelligent, but also brave enough to inspire, criticize, and offer innovative solutions. They are expected to be able to overcome real problems in their surroundings.

The main focus of this program is to nurture the character of young leaders who are proactive and empowered. Scholarship recipients are encouraged to be able to mobilize their communities. This is done through various actions based on empathy, science, and technology that are relevant to local needs.

With this comprehensive approach, Amartha Scholarships do more than just open the door to broader access to education. More than that, this program also seeks to ignite a spirit of courage in students. The hope is that they can become social innovators capable of bringing significant change at the village level.

Government Support and the Reality of Inequality in Access to Education

Amartha's efforts have received positive appreciation from the government, particularly the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KemenPPPA). Indra Gunawan, Expert Staff to the Minister for Institutional Relations at KemenPPPA, stated that this initiative is in line with various government programs. This is especially true in terms of empowerment and support for women, including access to finance.

Indra Gunawan added that Amartha, through Amartha.org, has launched many initiatives. These include education and the environment, which are also in line with the efforts of the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection. The goal is to achieve equitable prosperity in various regions of Indonesia. This demonstrates the synergy between the private sector and the government in achieving development goals.

Data shows that the level of women's participation in various strategic sectors, including higher education and the workforce, is still relatively low. The Indonesian Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection revealed that women working in the technology sector only reach 27 percent. Meanwhile, female academics in technology institutions are at around 35.7 percent, indicating a significant gap.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in its publication “Women and Men in Indonesia 2024” also notes this disparity. The percentage of women with a high school diploma in urban areas is higher at 33.93 percent. However, in rural areas, this figure is only 19.55 percent, highlighting the urgency of programs such as the Amartha Scholarship.

Social Innovation from Amartha Scholarship Recipients: The Safe Home Project

One concrete example of the positive impact of the Amartha Scholarship can be seen in Monica Maharani, a University of Indonesia student from Karawang. As one of the scholarship recipients, Monica initiated a project called Safe Home. This platform is designed to provide a safe, inclusive, and accessible space for survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

Through Safe Home, Monica strives to provide psychosocial support, education, and integrated assistance to survivors. This project demonstrates how education can empower individuals to create innovative solutions. These solutions directly address pressing social issues in their communities.

Monica Maharani said, “The Amartha scholarship has inspired me to take an active role in serving the community. With Safe Home, I want to provide a safe space without stigma.” She added, “I am grateful that this idea is fully supported by Amartha.org and hope that it can be replicated and expanded to other communities.” This statement underscores the importance of support in realizing social innovation.