Eddy Henry (PC 86-88) is currently Director of the Education Programme at the Sampoerna Foundation in Jakarta Indonesia. 

 

Previously Eddy was the CEO of two companies in Singapore and Indonesia.  Eddy studied maths and computer science at university.

 

“Nine years ago Mr. Putera Sampoerna wished to set up a Foundation to give back to society and Indonesia and at that time wanted to address issues such as heritage conservation, health, the environment, education etc. The founder looked at the problems facing the community -illegal logging, the pollution, poverty, the corruption and when he thought it all through, realised that the lack of education is the stem of all of them.  So when the foundation was established in 2001, he focused its mission on education: to improve the quality of, and to provide access to, education in Indonesia.  The foundation started with providing scholarships  to financially disadvantaged children so that they can continue their schooling at a variety of levels, from elementary to post graduate.” says Eddy.

 

“When I graduated from UWC I wanted to give something back to my country but at that time I didn’t have enough competency or credibility.  I started working in a variety of software and IT companies in Indonesia and Singapore.  But in 2004, after four years being at the top position, I said enough, I have achieved what I wanted in my professional career and now was the time to start giving back. At the same time the Foundation also needed someone to manage its programmes and establish a structured linkage to its scholarship alumni, so I started working at the Sampoerna Foundation.

 

“UWC offers more than most schools and impact is wider reaching than purely academics.  The International Baccalaureate is great and provides excellent university opportunities but the best part of the UWC experience is the people. For me, it opened up my horizon and provided an opportunity to understand different cultures, personalities and allowed me to learn that differences are ok.  When I started working, I knew I had to apply what I had learnt at UWC to the work environment.  Those two years were the best time of my life. I was a hyperactive child with too many options and I didn’t know what to do; UWC really gave me a direction and a sense of purpose in life.

 

“For many years, the National Committee of Indonesia had stopped selecting students to UWC colleges.  Stuart Walker, the then Director of Pearson College, tried to revive the National Committee and in 2002 contacted local UWC graduates and encouraged us to form a selection committee. He also indicated it was such a shame that the fifth largest nation in world had not been represented at UWC! For eight years Indonesia had not sent any student to UWC.  He convinced us to revive the committee.  In our first year, we selected two students for UWC.  The new National Committee was very fortunate to receive the support of the Sultan of Jogjakarta, the USA and Canadian embassies and the Italian cultural attaché. More recently we have been fortunate that 50% of our scholarships come from the Sampoerna Foundation, who also provided logistical support. 

 

“It is quite spiritually satisfying to be a part of the National Committee and to be able to give other Indonesian students the same opportunity that I had received.  When I graduated from UWC, I set myself a goal of sponsoring another student. At that point I didn’t have the means to. But since joining the Foundation, I have a vehicle which allows me to meet the right people who can provide.”

 

“Recently, together with another National Committee member, I went to Papua, on the far eastern side of the country.  Papua is a very poor province and has experienced many conflicts with multi-national companies who are mining there. The people in this area have not been able to send their good students to good schools, so we decided that the National Committee should select this year’s UWC students from that area. The three selected students are incredibly bright and are very active in their communities. One even has to work to help support her family.  It is amazing how these students overcome enormous difficulties and conditions to succeed. It makes me very proud to be involved - nothing beats it.”

 

“We are doing a lot of work at the Foundation that I could see would benefit UWC, we have similar goals and issues so there is a lot of cross over.  I am currently implementing a pilot project at the Foundation that will address some of our funding issues and if it is successful, I would like to share it with the International Board.”