About Nila Tanzil
Born 1976. Nila Tanzil is an Indonesian activist.
Nila Tanzil (born in Jakarta, April 29, 1976) is the founder of Taman Bacaan Pelangi a non-profit organization focused on promoting literacy in remote areas of eastern Indonesia. Nila holds a master's degree (MA in European Communication Studies) from the University of Amsterdam, in The Netherlands and a bachelor's in International Relations from Parahyangan Catholic University where she was named "Best Graduate of The Year".
Taman Bacaan Pelangi Taman Bacaan Pelangi is a non-profit organization that builds children's libraries and promotes literacy in remote areas of eastern Indonesia. Nila opened the first Taman Bacaan Pelangi children's library in Roe Village, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia in 2009. As of April 2018, Pelangi had 82 libraries across 15 islands in eastern Indonesia, including libraries on East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, Papua providing more than 105,300 children's books to some of the most remote villages in Indonesia. Nila hopes to inaugurate her 100th library and deliver her 250,000th children's book before the end of 2018. Taman Bacaan Pelangi focuses the eastern part of Indonesia because it is underdeveloped and lacks the infrastructure needed to give children access to international-standard books. More importantly, the illiteracy rate in parts of eastern Indonesia is staggeringly high, with more than 55 percent of 15-year-olds unable to understand what they read. Travel Sparks is a social enterprise that helps people from around the world "Travel With A Cause". With Travel Sparks, tourists can take part in a once in a lifetime voluntourism opportunity. In 2016, Nila published "Lembar-Lembar Pelangi," a non-fiction book that recounts her decision to quit her corporate career and answer the "call" to leave it all behind her to follow her dream of building libraries and promoting literacy in some of the most remote places in Indonesia.
Awards Kartini Next Generation 10 EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2016 from Ernst & Young 10 Inspiring Women 2015 by Forbes Indonesia Inspiring Woman in ICT for Community Development from the Ministry of Women Empowerment & Child Protection and the Ministry of Communication & IT Nugra Jasadharma Pustaloka 2013 from the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia Indonesia's Inspiring Youth & Women 2012 from Indosat 10 Iconic Women Indonesia
Fellowships Nila is an inaugural fellow of the Equity Initiative Fellowship in 2016 and an Atlantic Fellow. She is also an Eisenhower Fellow 2018.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Nila Tanzil's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Nila Tanzil?
Indonesian activist
When was Nila Tanzil born?
Nila Tanzil was born on 29 April 1976 in Jakarta.
What is Nila Tanzil's occupation?
Nila Tanzil is an activist.
What nationality is Nila Tanzil?
Nila Tanzil is Indonesian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Nila Tanzil. https://biography.guide/nila-tanzil/
MLA: "Nila Tanzil." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/nila-tanzil/.
Chicago: "Nila Tanzil." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/nila-tanzil/.
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