Indonesian Girl Reaches Out to Girl Scouts America Girl Guides of Canada Over Palm Oil
An Indonesian girl has started a letter writing campaign to foreign groups and media to fight false information on palm oil.
Andini who goes by the nickname Dini has written letters to Girl Guides of Canada, Girl Scouts of America to thank their support of palm oil which is used in the cookies for fundraising for the groups.
Andini who goes by the nickname Dini has written letters to Girl Guides of Canada, Girl Scouts of America to thank their support of palm oil which is used in the cookies for fundraising for the groups.
Dini, the daughter of palm oil farmers in Indonesia
She has also sent a letter to CTV News of Canada which reported that a Canadian girl by the name of Ophelia Bourgages had asked Girl Guides of Canada to stop using palm oil in their fundraising cookies.
According to Andini, she was saddened to see young Canadian girl asking Girl Guides to boycott palm oil.
“I have written to Girl Guides Canada and Girl Scouts America thanking them for their support of palm oil. These groups for girls have members between 5-17 who are encouraged to be leaders in their society. When they sell cookies for fundraising which use palm oil, I see these girls in Canada and America helping girls in Indonesia to a better future.
We have over 2.4 million smallholders in Indonesia many of which have young daughters. Once you add the daughters of all the workers in palm oil plantations and offices, there are millions of young girls in palm oil producing countries that depend on the income of palm oil for a better future.
I was saddened to see one Canadian girl making a threat to harm the future of all these girls but I think she may be misinformed by the many years of black campaigns against palm oil. It is why I decided, its enough. It is time for the truth.”
In her letter to the Canadian media, Andini asked CTV News to pass a message to Ophelia Bourgages to let Indonesian girls have a chance for a better future. A call to boycott palm oil is directly taking away the better future away from the daughters of Indonesian palm oil farmers.
Andini also hoped that CTV News and young Canadian girls will seek the truth about palm oil. In her letter, Andini expressed confidence in the leadership of Indonesia to protect forests and assured CTV News that the claim of 98% Indonesian forest lost to palm oil is false news. Andini further informed the Canadian news media that Indonesia under President Jokowi has made many actions to preserve the forests and peatlands of Indonesia with strong actions to restore forest areas which were damaged under the old leadership.
Andini hopes that her actions will inspire other Indonesian youth, especially girls, to become more active in social media to defend their rights to a better future.”
In her response to questions from CSPO Watch, Andini added that young foreign girls should realize that when they spread misinformation, their actions could affect the future prospects of young girls in palm oil producing countries.
Andini encouraged Ophelia Bourgages to care more about the environmental problems in Canada as she would have a greater influence on what happens in her home country instead of depriving girls in foreign countries of a better future.
“From what I have read in international news, I understand why Ophelia wants canola instead of palm oil as the province she is from is a big canola producer for Canada. She maybe defending the canola industry for her own future but the information she is spreading is false.
She claims that 98% of forests will be lost to palm oil which is not true at all. If she did some research, she would find that Indonesia has more forests than Canada. The natural disasters of flooding in British Columbia, wildfires every year in canola farm areas and the on-going exploitation of peat lands in Canada is bad for the world.
When I watched the video on CTV Regina, I did some online research to see what is happening in Canada and its forests. It was a shock to me to see news media reporting problems like ‘Logging scars’ show impact of deforestation in Canada is worse than we know, research finds and Study Shows Boreal Deforestation Is Far Higher than Reported and Any way you slice it, Canada is one of the worst emitters on the planet.
I hope Ophelia can become a champion for Canadian forests and peatlands. She is young and maybe does not know that fighting climate change starts from our own lands. But it is absolutely wrong for her to remove the food from the mouth of Indonesian girls who only wish for a future like hers.”
CSPO Watch thanks Andini for her outspoken view on the issues. Her letter to Girl Guides of Canada can be downloaded here.
Published November 2021. CSPO Watch
According to Andini, she was saddened to see young Canadian girl asking Girl Guides to boycott palm oil.
“I have written to Girl Guides Canada and Girl Scouts America thanking them for their support of palm oil. These groups for girls have members between 5-17 who are encouraged to be leaders in their society. When they sell cookies for fundraising which use palm oil, I see these girls in Canada and America helping girls in Indonesia to a better future.
We have over 2.4 million smallholders in Indonesia many of which have young daughters. Once you add the daughters of all the workers in palm oil plantations and offices, there are millions of young girls in palm oil producing countries that depend on the income of palm oil for a better future.
I was saddened to see one Canadian girl making a threat to harm the future of all these girls but I think she may be misinformed by the many years of black campaigns against palm oil. It is why I decided, its enough. It is time for the truth.”
In her letter to the Canadian media, Andini asked CTV News to pass a message to Ophelia Bourgages to let Indonesian girls have a chance for a better future. A call to boycott palm oil is directly taking away the better future away from the daughters of Indonesian palm oil farmers.
Andini also hoped that CTV News and young Canadian girls will seek the truth about palm oil. In her letter, Andini expressed confidence in the leadership of Indonesia to protect forests and assured CTV News that the claim of 98% Indonesian forest lost to palm oil is false news. Andini further informed the Canadian news media that Indonesia under President Jokowi has made many actions to preserve the forests and peatlands of Indonesia with strong actions to restore forest areas which were damaged under the old leadership.
Andini hopes that her actions will inspire other Indonesian youth, especially girls, to become more active in social media to defend their rights to a better future.”
In her response to questions from CSPO Watch, Andini added that young foreign girls should realize that when they spread misinformation, their actions could affect the future prospects of young girls in palm oil producing countries.
Andini encouraged Ophelia Bourgages to care more about the environmental problems in Canada as she would have a greater influence on what happens in her home country instead of depriving girls in foreign countries of a better future.
“From what I have read in international news, I understand why Ophelia wants canola instead of palm oil as the province she is from is a big canola producer for Canada. She maybe defending the canola industry for her own future but the information she is spreading is false.
She claims that 98% of forests will be lost to palm oil which is not true at all. If she did some research, she would find that Indonesia has more forests than Canada. The natural disasters of flooding in British Columbia, wildfires every year in canola farm areas and the on-going exploitation of peat lands in Canada is bad for the world.
When I watched the video on CTV Regina, I did some online research to see what is happening in Canada and its forests. It was a shock to me to see news media reporting problems like ‘Logging scars’ show impact of deforestation in Canada is worse than we know, research finds and Study Shows Boreal Deforestation Is Far Higher than Reported and Any way you slice it, Canada is one of the worst emitters on the planet.
I hope Ophelia can become a champion for Canadian forests and peatlands. She is young and maybe does not know that fighting climate change starts from our own lands. But it is absolutely wrong for her to remove the food from the mouth of Indonesian girls who only wish for a future like hers.”
CSPO Watch thanks Andini for her outspoken view on the issues. Her letter to Girl Guides of Canada can be downloaded here.
Published November 2021. CSPO Watch