PHILANTHROPY

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INDONESIA

Habitats and Happy Hearts

Jimmy Masrin leads by example with hands-on corporate social responsibility.
BY ALISSA GWYNN

Jimmy Masrin

FOLLOWING THE YOGYAKARTA earthquake in 2006, Jimmy Masrin, president director and chief executive of PT Caturkarsa Megatunggal, was struck by the devastation there. He responded with a fundraising drive within his company and by sending a team of volunteers, including family members and co-workers, to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity (HFH). Now, nearly a decade later, Jimmy continues a commitment through his companys extensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) program as well as through his personal endeavors as chairman of HFH Indonesia. Jimmy also serves as a newly elected member of both the HFH international board of directors and the Happy Hearts Fund board of directors. That initial fundraiser in 2006 raised enough for 45 homes through HFH, and laid the groundwork for what would become a comprehensive CSR program for PT Lautan Luas, a subsidiary of Caturkarsa Megatunggal, which manufactures and distributes chemicals. At that time, we didnt have a real CSR program, says Jimmy, But I had the wish to give back. So we sent a team of 30 volunteers to Yogyakarta, and we got to know the families of the homes we were building for. That was my inspiration. Jimmy continued to support and volunteer for HFH, and was invited to the board of HFH Indonesia in 2008. HFH Indonesia is a branch of the global nonprot organization, Habitat for Humanity International, and is fa-

76 | FORBES INDONESIA AUGUST 2013

AHMAD ZAMRONI / FORBES INDONESIA

FROM TOP: The ruins of houses caused by the Mount Merapi eruption at Kinahrejo village in Sleman; A woman takes a moment from pulling precious belongings from the rubble of her home after a 6.2 earthquake in Yogyakarta.

mous for its programs of home building along with other programs dealing with water sanitation and hygiene. Since 1997, HFH Indonesia has helped more than 39,000 families as of this year. Last year, Jimmy and Lautan Luas employees built or renovated 34 houses in cooperation with HFH Indonesia. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right place at the right time, depending on how you look at it, says Jimmy. In 2009, Jimmy established a CSR program for his company. Today, Lautan Luas commits 2% of its net prot to CSR, which last year came to Rp 1.5 billion. The companys CSR program, however, extends beyond merely giving funds. In Jimmys opinion, a key component essential to a meaningful CSR program is personal involvement. If a company gets involved and participates, like in the HFH case, you actually go to the site and build homes. Its very hands on for the employees; you get to meet the families, talk with the villagers, and its more direct. You need involvement at many different

KRISTIANTO PURNOMO / DEMOTIX / CORBIS, JACQUELINE M. KOCH / MERLIN / CORBIS

I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right place at the right time, depending on how you look at it.
levels, rather than just giving funds, he says. These days Jimmy likes to participate in a build about once a month. The companys CSR program now supports a wide range of projects, with a focus on serving the poor, clean water supply, and regional programs. These initiatives include a continued commitment to HFHJimmy estimates that more than 300 different employees have volunteered at a buildin addition to regularly-hosted

blood drives, scholarship donations and local community clean-ups. In another notable CSR program, Lautan Luas sent a mobile water treatment to Yogyakarta after the Mount Merapi volcanic eruptions in 2010. The unit was created by PT Hydo Hitech Optima, a Lautan Luas subsidiary, and generates clean drinking water from river water. Jimmy sees the unit as an investment in the community; it cost $100,000 to make, but still currently serves over 50,000 people. In March 2013, he was elected to the International Board of Directors of HFH International. He is currently one of only two Asians on the board. This year he has also been involved in setting up the Happy Hearts Fund in Indonesia, an organization dedicated to rebuilding schools after natural disasters. The Happy Hearts Fund, founded in 2005, has already built 50 schools in Indonesia, and hopes to build 20 more schools every year. The reason Ive gotten close to both [HFH and Happy Hearts Fund] is because they go hand in hand; life begins at home. I personally think that without a good home, you cant really have good education or good health. When we go to build these homes, theres always a need for schools, especially after a disaster, so it matches, says Jimmy. In the future, Jimmy hopes that other companies will follow suit with their CSR programs as well. I think that [having strong CSR] is an asset over time because it illustrates that management is concerned, says Jimmy. In a country prone to natural disasters and a dire need for better quality housing, the need is obvious. We take a lot from the country, from the population, and I think you have to give back, says Jimmy. F
AUGUST 2013 FORBES INDONESIA | 77