2019 Prestige It Philantropist: Mesty Ariotedjo

No one understands better what it means to live in a society of haves and have nots than a physician. As an intern doctor in 2012, Mesty Ariotedjo went to work in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. What she saw there made her realise how fortunate she was.

But as well as learning about the realities of Indonesian society, Mesty decided to do something to help the less fortunate.
“I saw the infrastructural inequality and treatment facility issues between the city and the village,” says this pediatric resident and harpist, ambassador of the Indonesia Classical Music Foundation, founder of a free music school for underprivileged children in Jakarta and a co-founder of WeCare.id. “There were a lot of patients in remote areas that did not get the good health services they were supposed to receive, even though they had national health insurance.

“They did not have enough money to go to better health facilities in the city, so they just gave in and eventually passed away. This issue encouraged me to provide a bridge to the people in remote areas so they could get optimal health service. Thus was born WeCare.id, a fundraising website for the less-fortunate patients.

“I am proud that what we do in WeCare.id can give huge benefits for everyone – for the patients so they can get proper medical treatment, for the medical partners that are doing optimal work, and also for our team, because we feel happy and fulfilled knowing that our work makes such a tremendous impact for so many people.”