TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Acknowledging the positive impact of Water.org works in Indonesia, the two Water.org founders, Gary White and Matt Damon, visited Indonesia on July 3-5, 2018, to visit the organization’s partner microfinance institutions and water service providers and experience the direct impact from the people that benefited from the programs.
Founded by Gary White and Hollywood actor Matt Damon, Water.org has been pioneering market-driven financial solutions to the global water crisis for more than 25 years, giving women hope, children health, and communities a future.
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Their visit to Indonesia initiated on July 3, by visiting the Koperasi Mitra Dhuafa (KOMIDA) Headquarter Office in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta., which is one of Water.org Indonesia’s first partners.
KOMIDA has 230 branches spread over from Aceh in the West to Timor Island in the East of Indonesia and 502,000 clients with 100% are women. To date, KOMIDA has lent water and sanitation loans to 18,588 clients and is said to have impacted the lives of 69,173 people.
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Together with KOMIDA operational director Sugeng, Gary White and Matt Damon spent their second day in Indonesia by visiting the Kertosari Village and Denasri Kulon Village both in Batang District. In here, they met with the region’s state tap-water company (PDAM Batang) that has 41,527 household connections.
According to the press release from Water.org, Gary White’s and Matt Damon’s three-day visit to Indonesia has given them a deeper point of view of the real water and sanitation access conditions and how partnership with financial institutions and water utilities play a major role to bring water and sanitation to households of poor communities.
WATER.ORG