Life in Kerinci: what is it like to live in the APRIL complex?

Pangkalan Kerinci, capital of Pelalawan District, is one of Riau Province’s fast surging cities, with buzzing streets and a growing economy. Located 124 km away from Pekanbaru, Pangkalan Kerinci is home to one of Indonesia’s biggest pulp and paper producers, APRIL Group, and its sister company Asia Pacific Rayon.

When APRIL Group first started building its mill in 1993, Pangkalan Kerinci was a village of just 200 dwellings. Today it’s grown into a small city of more than 100,000 people and is home to thousands of employees and their families.

So what is life like in Pangkalan Kerinci? Read on to find out.

Housing

The Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) Complex, set within Kerinci, was built entirely by APRIL for our employees and their families.

As an APRIL employee, you will be offered accommodation in one of the numerous housing areas in RAPP Complex, or be given a monthly housing allowance.

More than 10,000 residents reside in a mix of landed houses and apartments in the RAPP Complex, and there are also houses and mess areas within our estates and plantation areas.

Education

There are three schools in Kerinci which receive financial support from APRIL: one elementary school and two high schools.

Global Andalan and Taruna Andalan use the national curriculum of Indonesia, while Mutiara Harapan School (SMH) combines the national curriculum as well as that of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, making it the only school in Riau which offers the IB Diploma program.

All three APRIL-assisted schools also have an ‘A’ accreditation by the National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education in Indonesia.

Global Andalan, which is present in the Logas and Pelalawan estates, has also received recognition from Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, as well as Ministry of Education and Culture, for its commitment to helping students learn about the environment by building Eco Green Parks next to the schools.

Sports and Leisure

There are over 36 sports facilities in Kerinci and RAPP Complex, which is enjoyed by APRIL employees who are part of clubs such as the Basketball Club, Cycling Club, and Running Club.

Kerinci is also home to APRIL’s Future Athlete Training Centre (PPLAMBD), which was established with the goal of training promising young athletes from the Pelalawan Regency in karate, badminton and tennis.

APRIL employees also indulge in their common interests by riding Vespas, taking beautiful photographs, and improving their public speaking skills together.

Locals and visitors alike are also welcome at Hotel Unigraha in RAPP Complex, the only three-star hotel in Kerinci which features a swimming pool, gym, business centre and restaurant. Since 2019, Hotel Unigraha has made environmentally-conscious steps to reduce single-use plastic by replacing plastic straws with paper straws, as well as water bottles with water dispensers throughout the hotel.

Celebrations and Events

Kerinci is very community-oriented, and regularly holds events which aim to raise community spirits, establish kinship, and enable residents to learn about and enjoy each other’s cultures.

Since 2004, RAPP has organised a Culture Week (PSB) every year in Kerinci – a week-long celebration of arts and culture which celebrates the unity and diversity of the 11 different communities who reside in the town.

Hundreds of Kerinci residents put on their traditional costumes to take part in a cultural procession, and showcase their traditional houses, musical instruments and dishes to visitors wishing to learn more.

In 2019, the RAPP Complex was also the location for RGE’s inaugural Founder’s Day event in Indonesia, which is on course to become an annual celebration for the company.

Regular blood donation drives are also a fixture in Kerinci’s annual calendar, where many RAPP employees who are permanent donors show up to give a bit of their time and blood to the Indonesian Red Cross.