Kao Indonesia Collaborates Synergistically with the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Re-runs the Anak KAO (Creative, Active, Optimistic) Education Campaign and Launched Digital Education Platform

- Kao Indonesia together with the Ministry of Health continue the pentahelix synergistic collaboration to realize the promoting of the Healthy Living Community Movement (GERMAS) through the Anak KAO Education Campaign.
- Kick Off Implementation of the 2022 Anak KAO Education Campaign in 5 Provinces, 8 Cities, with targeting 10 thousand children carried out using the blended hybrid learning method.
- The Launch of 'Kao Life Academy' website as a digital education platform – sharing good knowledge for the people of Indonesia.

Jakarta, July 26, 2022 – Kao Indonesia continues the collaboration in Pentahelix Partnership as an effort to promote the Healthy Living Community Movement (GERMAS). This collaboration was marked by The Signing of a Collaboration Agreement between Kao Indonesia and the Indonesian Ministry of Health by Masahide Nishida as President Director of PT Kao Indonesia and dr. Imran Agus Nurali, Sp.KO as Director of Health Promotion and Community Empowerment of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, which was also witnessed by the Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health of the Republic of Indonesia, dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi, M. Epid. On the same day, Kao Indonesia also kicked off the implementation of the Anak KAO which will take place throughout 2022 as well as the launch of a digital education platform, namely the Kao Life Academy website and mobile web.

The Anak KAO Program has been conducted since 2016, as a tangible manifestation of Kao Indonesia's care and participation in conducting health promotion education to contribute in increasing awareness of the importance of maintaining personal and environmental hygiene through Clean and Healthy Living Behavior and the importance of implementing good health protocols in the home or school area. Until now the Anak KAO program has educated more than 15,000 elementary and junior high school age children and for the continuation of its implementation in 2022, it is expected to reach an additional 10,000 other Indonesian children located in 5 provinces of Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java and East Java.

Susilowati, VP Marketing of PT Kao Indonesia said "In line with the ESG Strategy and our company's vision to be able to contribute in improving the quality of life of the community and a sustainable environment through education - sharing good knowledge, this synergistic collaboration is one of the real manifestations of Kao Indonesia's care for the community through the Anak KAO education campaign which focuses on raising awareness and providing support for hand soap and sink facilities for school-age children who are expected to play a role as agents of change in the surrounding environment and the nation's next generation for a better Indonesia."

"We are very proud that the efforts made by Kao Indonesia can continue to be supported by the Ministry of Health, and of course it can be sustainable to realize the promotion of the Healthy Living Community Movement which is owned by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia and can run smoothly and benefit all participating students," explained Susilowati.

The pandemic, which is still ongoing today, has had an impact and changes on people's lives, including children. Restrictions on mobility and limited social interaction with friends at school are not easy things for children to accept, including tightening a clean and healthy lifestyle, one of which is Hand Washing with Soap (CTPS), which is also one of the main health protocols. Quoted from data compiled by UNICEF state that diarrhea and ARI are the most common diseases experienced by children in Indonesia and diarrhea is the cause of child mortality as much as 18% of all deaths of children under 5 years old in Indonesia. This shows that CTPS has an important role to prevent the transmission of disease and Covid-19.^*1

As an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the education unit, the Ministry of Education and Culture issued Circular Letter No. 3 on 2020 which calls for the Regional Government to immediately instruct education units to: 1. Optimize the role of UKS/M; 2. Ensure the availability of CTPS facilities in various strategic locations in the education unit; 3. Ensure that education unit residents practice CTPS (minimum 20 seconds) and dry their hands (with / without disposable hand dryers) and other PHBS.^*2

dr. Imran Agus Nurali, Sp.KO as Director of Health Promotion and Community Empowerment of the Indonesian Ministry of Health said "We appreciate Kao Indonesia's efforts in contributing to the promotion of the Healthy Living Community Movement (GERMAS) which is carried out in a sustainable manner through the Anak KAO Education Campaign which is expected to encourage the realization of clean and healthy behavior in the school, starting from students, teachers to the school community and also parents. In addition, education related to improving mental health for children and adolescents is also important and becomes an additional point in the education that will be held later. So that students are physically healthy, mentally healthy, and the achievements of the nation's children also increase. This collaboration is a concrete implementation of the Pentahelix Partnership which involves the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Culture from the Government element, Kao Indonesia as Private Sector, doctors and psychologists representing the professional community who will support in delivering programs and mass media that are very much needed."

Changes in daily routines due to the pandemic also have an impact on the mental and emotional health of children and adolescents. Nearly half of households reported that their children experienced behavioral challenges, such as difficulty concentrating (45 percent), irritability (13 percent), and sleeping difficulty (6.5 percent).^*3 Therefore, topics related to mental health, especially at the age of children and adolescents, are an important thing for increasing psychosocial resilience in groups of children and adolescents who are one of the vulnerable groups that need support from the surrounding environment. Maintaining mental health is important in order to be able to manage feelings, maximize self-potential and face various life conditions so that they can be healthier, happier, creative and enthusiastic about achieving goals.^*4

Coinciding with National Children's Day which was commemorated on July 23, it was the right moment for Kao Indonesia to kick off the implementation of Anak KAO which was marked by the signing of the Collaboration Agreement (PKS) and also launched the Kao Life Academy educational platform as a tangible manifestation of Caring Innovation in digital era.

"Education for Clean and Healthy Lifestyle is one of the main keys in improving people's quality of life. Therefore, Kao Indonesia strives to continuously contribute through educational activities, both targeting school-age children such as Anak KAO, as well as targeting the wider community through the website www.Kaolifeacademy.com. Kao Life Academy is expected to be an education platform for the wider community regarding health and hygiene. We realize that in today's digital era, digital platforms are very much needed and in demand to be able to reach a wider community. With the existence of the Kao Life Academy, this is also a tangible manifestation of the implementation of the ESG Strategy and Kao Indonesia's Vision which is expected to contribute to the promotion of Germas launched by the Government and can also complement the implementation of Anak KAO which is carried out in a hybrid way," said Susilowati.

Kao Life Academy is a digital platform that can be accessed via desktop and mobile, containing educational information – sharing good knowledge related to physical health, mental health and environmental awareness to support Indonesian people in obtaining hygiene and health education literacy that is relevant to their daily life. Kao Life Academy is also equipped with various features ranging from articles, tools such as skin check apps and podcasts. The presence of Kao Life Academy also complements the implementation of the Anak KAO Education Campaign, where children can do hybrid learning through the Kao Life Academy platform.

In its implementation, Anak KAO activities will also receive support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology in line with the Healthy Schools Campaign carried out by the Ministry of Education and Culture.